All I Ask of You
by JasperK
Summary: Sarah Williams knew she had done some foolish things in her life. The Wish that resulted in her running the Labyrinth was at the top of the list. When she mistakenly summoned the Goblin King a second time, she realised that foolish did not necessarily mean stupid. For if one is at ones wits end what else is there to do but call for help?
1. Chapter 1: cry?

**All I ask of you, is that when I cannot, would you . . .**

**Cry?**

The car door slammed on her coat, just as stepped away, and tore a rip all the way up the back. Sarah simply stood there, too numb to protest. It was the last of many little tiny annoyances that amounted into one heap of a rotten day. She'd dropped her breakfast yoghurt on the floor, it had coated her skirt en route. She'd been late for a meeting with her editor because the only other work wear she had was an all too formal pair of shimmering trousers. She wore them. Everyone else was in jeans. The key critique to her story cut across the heart of her theme and killed all joy she had in it. She had no energy even to cry. She slipped her arms, one at a time, out of her ruined coat, and left it hanging there as a light rain began to fall. She, her notebooks and her manuscript were soaked by the time she reached her fourth floor flat. Perching the sodden pile of paper onto the edge of the plant pot outside her door, she patted her pockets, then groaned. She'd left her house keys in the coat. She trooped back down the stair and searched through her jacket pockets, only to find them empty. She peered into her car. There they were, on the seat, with her car keys. Of course, the doors were all locked. She stood against the car, in the now pouring rain and raised her face to the skies.

"I'm so unhappy I can't even cry," she said aloud.

She left the car, and her flat, and walked, letting her feet take her where they would.

"I'm not unhappy," she mused to the drops of water that expressed sorrow beyond her ability to grasp, "that would imply I would once again become happy."

She pondered this as she primly skirted puddles on the sidewalk.

"I become resigned, with moments of content," she declared. "Happiness is for those who haven't had their hearts shattered as a child, and their wishes truly answered and twisted against them as a teenager, and their dreams devastated as a young adult."

She put her hands in the pockets of her shiny black trousers. They stuck to her, squeaking as she walked. Of all the days to wear a black bra under her white shirt, now all the neighbourhood could see.

"Let them look!" She declaimed, throwing her hand up in a dramatic sweep. "I might look pretty, but I've too sharp a personality for any lasting love! That's what comes from a shattered heart."

The rain and the whoosh of cars driving past stole her words and silenced them.

She saw the short cut to the river through the Smithson's yard on the far side of the road. She took a rapid glance at the traffic, up and down, saw the gap and ran. Cars slowed and hooted at her, but she was long gone. She pelted across the yard and darted down the zig zag path.

"This way! That way!" It was just like her ragged dating life. "I saw dated you, it fell apart. We kissed and I never saw you again. And you were a coward that didn't ditch me till just before the prom who had been seeing my friend all term!" It was rather humiliating to admit these were all different guys.

She stomped along the part where someone had scattered gravel, still halfway up the hill. She kicked at it and it shifted, and she almost lost her balance.

"And you, there were several of you! Like this gravel, you were there for a few weeks as hopeful perhaps and then just drifted off!"

She hopped down the logs put across the next switch back down.

"I even had the courage to ask two of them out, and wasn't that awkward. Even bad would have been better than awkward."

She stomped her way towards the river. She loved the little turn right at the end of the path; the one where could see almost the whole stretch of the river bend from there. For that alone this trip would be worth it.

She skipped down the logs that served as steps for the next section down. There it was, the river bend in its silvery shimmering glory, with the skies pouring their sorrow down, and the river pulling it away, towards the sea.

The next second her foot slid on the slippery wet log and she went sprawling. Straight into the last part of the path. Only, all the runoff from above pooled there in one large orange muddy puddle.

Spluttering and coughing she pushed herself into a sitting position. Her hands stung, but she couldn't cry. She was overwrought, too far gone over the edge to reach her emotions.

Her white top was no longer just semi transparent, it was tinged with mud orange. Her hair was streaked in it.

"Now this!" She was surprised at the dramatic rise and fall of her voice, still controlled despite her boiling anger and flat apathy. "This, has your name all over it! The one who showed me fairy tales are real, then threw petty challenges and nightmares in my face. Did you really think yourself so wonderful that I'd choose you? Over my brother? Hah! You have no power over me! Told you there!" She smacked the surface of the puddle, splashing herself in the face. She wiped the muck out of her eye. "That's what you get, Jareth, the Goblin King! Wish you were here now! Hah!"

"Sarah?"

She jumped a mile. She was out of the puddle and half way up the path before she registered the utter incredulity in his tone. His tone. His?

She gaped down at him as he stood neatly beside the puddle, in her favourite spot, just where she could see the river bend in all its glory.

"Sarah, what in world are you doing?"

He was impeccably dressed with not a speck of mud on him. The rain that fell lightly rested in his hair like the glitter showers he conjured.

Only, he didn't look anything like what she remembered. There wasn't a touch of snarky attitude in his eyes, just surprise and honest bewilderment.

She perked up. It was him! The Goblin King. The veritable ruler of snarky sass! She turned right around and stomped back down to him. This was just what she needed.

"I am having, as you can see, a most awful day!" She stopped a few steps away so she could face him at eye level. He still had those odd miss matched eyes, strange she had thought she had dreamed that imperfection to balance his beauty. She blinked and drew herself up.

"Did you fall into that puddle and hit your head?" He asked, concerned, gazing up at the way the path zig zaged above them.

"Just from the step you're on," she felt that lowered the whole tone of the conversation to mundane banality. She wanted high drama! He was excellent at that. "I've just realised, our whole relationship is just like that puddle!"

"We had a relationship?" he raised one eyebrow, incredulously.

"Ah," she stuttered, "yes we did! You even danced with me!"

"I dance with many girls; you'd be surprised how most struggle to follow a simple lead. Do mothers not teach a basic waltz to their daughters in this age?"

"Oh," she said as the wind went out of her sails. "It wasn't only me?"

"To dance with me in a peach induced dream? No, that's the honey trap."

"You're a right jerk,"

"At least I'm honest. I'm the Goblin King. I take the children given to me. I try the hearts of those who wish to fight for them, and those – like you– who truly love, win."

"I'm not the only champion of the Labyrinth?"

"No." He smiled.

Her whole life felt hollow. It was true. He was honest in who he was. How had she managed to build a whole world around him? How had she dreamed he was something more? Why had she blamed half of her mistakes and failures on his brilliance and drive? He wasn't fighting her. Wasn't challenging her.

His hair drooped now, dripping rivulets of rain down his face. His makeup ran, a little. He wore the painted tears she could not cry.

No. There was nothing that he wanted. Nothing for him to fight her for.

Sarah walked back down the steps. She stepped carefully around the Goblin King on her favourite step. She didn't get a glimpse of the river view. She walked through the puddle and turned back to him at the end of the path.

"There's an excellent spot for skimming stones a few yards down river if you're coming?"

He stepped around the puddle and she realised to her shock that he was following. She breathed in a squeak of alarm and hurried on.

She scrambled down to the river's edge. Only, with the rain and the rising water from rains further up river, the pebble beach was covered and her feet sunk into thick mud hidden by the misleading tufts of green grass above it. She stood, stuck there, too exhausted to even curse.

He settled beside her, his boots ankle deep in the muck.

"No pebbles today?"

"No," she said listlessly.

They stood in the now pouring rain. His hair refused to flatten under the relentless rain and clumped instead. Hers, she knew hung about her face in nasty rattails.

She sneezed.

"If you want to watch the rain, we could do it in comfort."

She eyed him suspiciously, but he was watching the rain with a slightly distant expression, not at all threatening. She let herself slump. He did the Goblin King gig for a job, or an existence, which was rather pitiable now that she thought of it. And she thought her life sucked? Honestly, what did she have to lose?

"Do I have to wish it?"

"If you like," he shrugged, "a wish is a call to me, and I am already here."

"So it'd be like a three year old going 'nag, nag, nag' in your ear, sorry."

He did not seem to have an opinion either way so she thought for a moment.

"Goblin King, I wish for a place of comfort where we could both watch the rain!"

He smiled and held out a hand and she took it.

"Can you swim?" he asked as around them the river dissolved.

"What?" Sarah then remembered exactly who he was in sudden flat panic.

"Can you swim?" his voice was distant, demanding and she swore she felt his breath on her ear.

"Yes, but whaaaaa!"

She splashed about and felt strong arms grab her and set her on a rock below the water. She settled her feet on the flat rock at the bottom of the large pool they both were in, chest deep. In the rain, overlooking a valley similar to the one they had left, save the river was steaming. He released her once she was steady.

"It's warm," she said in blank shock.

"It is," he peeled his gloves off and tossed them to a broad rock at the side of the pool. He then ducked under and with a little odd hopping that almost had her laughing, tugged off his boots and stockings. He surfaced with a gasp and settled them next to the gloves. She gaped at him as he then reached to the back of his shirt and pulled it over his head. It landed with a wet splat beside his other clothes.

He then leisurely slid back into the water.

"Sarah?"

She blinked as her mind restarted.

"Yeah?"

"You'll find you swim better without your shoes." He ducked under the water and swam away across the pool, and emerged at the far end, overlooking the edge of the waterfall.

She did that, but did not divest herself of any further clothes, as transparent as her shirt was, it was still a shirt, and a barrier. She put her shoes on the stone then dipped under the wonderfully warm water. She waded slowly over to where he stood, taking in his lithe shoulder muscles. He rested his chin on his arms as he overlooked the valley. She joined him in the same stance. It was beautiful.

"How much of this is a dream?" she whispered.

"What is life but a dream? An eternal cycle of rain above a river of rising mist. A momentary drop of a tear, exquisite while falling, then gone. Transience and intransience trapped by beauty."

"You should sell that stuff you say," Sarah sighed as she settled comfortably to float beside him. "I'd buy it."

"Words are but a key to the heart," he murmured, "and I spend my days unlocking them."

She fell silent; she didn't want to discuss what he did. She didn't want to discuss what she did. That neatly killed all current conversation.

She pushed back from the edge of the pool and ducked her head. She scrubbed at her hair to rid it of all the mud from the puddle. She emerged and inspected the rattails. She would need handfuls of conditioner before it was manageable.

"Need some help?"

She glanced up to find him watching her.

"You've got some magic that'll work on this?"

He raised his hands in answer, spreading his fingers like a five year old. She couldn't say no to the silly hopeful grin on his face.

"Trade you," she reached over and lifted a clump of his blond hair out of his eyes.

"We have ourselves an accord. Float on your back, and relax."

She almost fell asleep. The water was comfortable, and his fingers as he promised were magic. She spent the first while simply smiling at the sheer pleasure of having someone stroke her head. Her tired, grumpy self couldn't work up any arguments for ulterior motives. It was just that, wonderful. She wallowed in the glory of it. She opened her eyes sharply when he traced the shell of her ear.

"Our trade, as agreed?" he prompted.

She groaned in pleasure and loss. She sank under water then emerged, contained within a languid calm that nothing could penetrate.

"Same back at you," she gestured for him to float.

His hair was thick and flowed softly in the water. If there was one thing she knew, it was how to give head massages. One writer's retreat she had visited had been held in conjunction with a holistic healing camp, and the healers had traded massages for lessons on expressing themselves with words. It had been an odd trade, but well worth it. Now, ironically, it was she who was giving the massage and he who had provided all those enchanting words. She drew her hands over his scalp, then drifted onto his face, and back onto his scalp as the rhythm of the massage required. She worked down his neck and found a knot on his shoulder and worked that out. She drew her hands up through his hair again and lightly finished at the temples.

"Sarah," he said softly as he sank down into the pool, his eyes still closed.

"Mmh?"

"Thank you."

He hovered at the edge of the pool, clearly half asleep, watching the rain.

She went swimming; she hadn't been in a hot pool in a long time, and certainly not one she had almost to herself.

She popped up beside him as her stomach gave a rumble it was well passed dinner.

"Need to return?" He answered his own question as he pushed himself back in the water, headed for his clothes.

She followed and picked up her shoes.

He simply scooped his things up under his arm and with a gesture; the pool became a window into the hall of her flat where she had hung her full-length mirror.

"If you wish to see me, call," he said.

"If you wish to call, come see me," she retorted, grinning at the surprise on his face.

"Sarah," he said hesitantly, "I am not someone to casually invite into your home."

"No, but your goblins raid my kitchen with regularity, hog the best seat before the TV when the soaps are on and their literary critique is hilarious. You're welcome to join them, though they might be less bold with you around."

His face had an odd expression of consternation and reluctance.

"It's, it's just that I'm not always like this. I have my bad days too, and I know myself, I'll come and find you on a bad day and then," he looked away.

"Then we'll be quits and can compare exactly how awful our lives are. I have chocolate ice cream and cheesy movies to watch for just such occasions. You're honestly welcome. It'd be good to help a friend."

"If you wish."

"No," she eyed him. "Free will, or not at all, I'm not binding you to anything."

He gave her a sheepish grin as if he had just worked that out himself.

"You grant me free access to your home, and all within?" he sounded suspicious.

"If you so wish it."

"Why?"

"Everyone needs a spot to just get away from it all."

"Hah, you already have goblins, there is hardly a difference for me."

She laughed.

"I'll see you."

She stepped back into her apartment. When she looked back the mirror showed only her reflection. Better still, her spare car keys rested in the basket directly below it.


	2. Chapter 2: dance?

**All I ask of you, is that when I cannot, would you . . .**

**Dance?**

Sarah perched the grocery bags between her arm and the wall and leaned around to unlock her front door. She juggled bags, keys and the door to get inside successfully. It was a relief to have it closed behind her. She tottered through; she could hear the TV on, and the afternoon soap playing. She smiled, wonderful; she needed to ask the goblins their opinion on a piece of frankly rancid critique on her work that had appeared in the paper a few days back. Only, when she entered the kitchen she found a whole hoard of them on the kitchen counter, all nibbling at Oreos.

"That looks like a bad day remedy, what happened?" she asked as she set the milk in her fridge then refilled her fruit bowl.

There was an immediate clamour, but she couldn't make out any word, except 'Kingy!'"

"Did he bog someone?" They usually complained when he did.

"No! Kingy is here!" They seemed somewhat alarmed at that.

Several fingers pointed in the direction of her living room.

"Oh?" Sarah coughed as her voice squeaked. She jammed the unpacked bags into the cupboard. She no longer had the leisure to unpack. Who knew what Jareth could do in the meantime?

She hurried through and found him slouched right down in the best couch, his feet on the magazines on her coffee table and his hands folded over his stomach. His eyes were glassy as he stared at the television. She glanced at the show, she hadn't seen it in a few days, but it seemed they were still all agonising about the possible infidelity of the most handsome man on the show. This meant it showed more of others talking about him, rather than him starring on screen, until this arc was resolved she wouldn't go back to watching it.

He hadn't noticed her.

She slipped back to the kitchen and made tea. She had to hand out milky cups of the stuff to the goblins as they all wanted cups on hearing the King was to drink some. She didn't have a tray, so stuffed everything into a plastic lunch box, two cups, a box of Oreos and the sugar bowl.

She set it on the upturned crate that was her oh so elegant side table and stuck one cup in front of his face to block his vision.

"You'll rot your brain on that stuff," she told him cheerfully.

He closed his long gloved fingers around the cup.

"I'm forming such an opinion," he said drily.

She settled into the chair beside him. He sipped at the tea and grimaced.

"Sugar? Or don't you take it with milk?"

"Three spoons," he held out his cup.

She added sugar and handed him an Oreo to dunk.

He went back to staring at the TV.

"Bad day?" she asked when the commercials came on.

"In comparison to what's his name on that TV of yours, fine and dandy. I'd have bogged the lot of them for spreading such swill around!" He said it in such a flat tone; she could see he was still smothered by whatever had upset him. He finished his Oreo and tea and listlessly watched the commercials. She knew the feeling of such a funk, flipping one's self out of it usually took a drastic thing, like dumping her in an unexpected hot pool fully clothed.

"Do you want to see the end of the soap, or do you want to do something?"

He lifted a hand in what could be a shrug.

"Alright, mister, up and at 'em!"

"What do you mean?" He asked blankly.

She darted out of the room, grabbed her bag and added a few things from her wardrobe. She returned to the living room and inspected him. He wore one of his less pretentious outfits, a simple cotton shirt, tight grey trousers and boots. No one would look twice, she hoped. She walked over and held out a hand, he took it when she wriggled her fingers at him and pulled him to his feet. She blinked up at him. She kept forgetting how tall he was. She did an abrupt about turn with her cheeks going pink.

"This way!"

He followed, out of her fourth story flat and down to her car in the lot below. He listlessly watched the scenery go by as they headed down town. She pulled into a half-full lot and grinned.

"This way!" She headed for the flat roofed warehouse ahead.

They could hear the music thumping all the way from the doors, growing louder as they approached the booth.

"What size are your feet?"

"My feet?" he echoed blankly, then his eyes flickered into that old fire she remembered in them, "if you are slyly asking for other measurements…"

"No need," she smirked, "you advertise too well."

He grinned broadly at her.

"There's a chart to the right of the booth," the booth attendant said in disgust.

They walked over to the nearby chairs.

"Here put extra socks on or you'll have blisters on your ankles." She handed him a pair of thick sports socks.

He eyed the plastic chair with distaste and held up the pair of roller skates in the other hand.

"Skating?"

"Yes," she pulled her own hired pair on and tightened the laces. "Ever been?"

"Not this roller skating," he sat down gingerly as if the chair were covered in something sticky, and pulled his own pair onto his feet.

He stood up and used her shoulder to settle his balance.

She laughed as she helped him totter to the edge of the rink. The lights flickered and flashed, as the mirror ball twinkled all colours across the walls as the disco music thumped. He edged out along the wall, wobbling around several young children doing the same thing.

She skated in little circles nearby as his attention fixed on his skates. He pushed away from the wall with a slight smile as he worked out how to propel himself, and then it suddenly seemed to click. He launched himself into the flow of people circling the rink. Sarah scrambled after him, shocked. The Goblin King could skate very well. He practised a turn and narrowly missed slamming into the wall, but skimmed it with his skate and twisted himself out into the flow again. By his third circuit he had worked out how to go backwards. He flowed in to skate before her with a grin on his face.

"Do these things work on the pavements that cover your cities?"

"Yes!"

"Excellent!"

"Why do I get the impression that the ballroom of the castle is going to be covered in skate wheel marks?"

The delight that lit in his eyes at that made her laugh. He held out his hands to her and dragged her along just faster than she was comfortable.

"You've skated before!" she yelled over the music.

"There's not much to do in the Labyrinth in winter!" he retorted with a grin. "Want to join us next time? It is somewhat hilarious watching goblins ice skate."

"They're bad?"

"No! They're chaotic, which makes for the most manic game of dodge you ever played!"

"I'd love it!"

* * *

They left the rink exhausted. Jareth had purchased half the shop in skates. The Goblin King had a credit card in the name of Jareth King. She wondered, but did not dare to ask, what he did for an income. They hauled the bags of skates up to her apartment and found the goblins and Hoggle all watching football.

"Kingy!" The goblins chorused to Hoggle's rather dismayed "Your Majesty?" with a betrayed stare in Sarah's direction.

"After the quite frankly abysmal runner we've all had to deal with, I've bought everyone gifts!" Jareth dumped the bags at his feet and struck a pose inviting their praise. The goblins yelped and clapped and clustered around him in a clump.

"It's just going to bite them, they never learn," Hoggle grumbled.

"Ever skated on a smooth stone floor?" Sarah asked as Jareth eyed each goblin and handed selected skates to each.

"Of course not!" Hoggle grumbled.

"Want to try?"

"In little wheeled boots?" He wasn't as disinterested as he pretended.

"With disco music, and I'm sure we can persuade His Majesty to provide lights," Sarah declared. She ran through to her room, grabbed her stereo and own pair of skates she'd had from high school.

Jareth was busy ordering everyone through the mirror and she hopped through.

"Sarah?" he stumbled after and everyone left in her apartment hurried after her.

She held up her stereo and skates.

"Roller disco!" she declared. "You saw the lights, do a little magic!"

The odd expression on his face of disbelief, twisted around incredulity made her laugh. The ballroom had a sprung floor; the varnish job covering the wood would be thoroughly marked by the time they were done. She hoped his magic could fix such things. She set her stereo onto a windowsill, pressed play and cranked up the volume. The goblins scrambled into their skates and pandemonium ensued. Hoggle caught on quickly enough and skated little circles in a free area of the room while Jareth walked slowly around the room, setting crystals in place into sconces apparently for that very purpose. He then sat primly and pulled on his own black skates, then stood and stretched out his hands, in a glittering moment the room transformed into a midnight glade with stars twinkling across the ceiling. The music, while still her disco tape, somehow became alive, calling to the heart and soul to dance. She skated through the goblins as they went every which way, despite Hoggle trying to heard them in a clockwise direction. Jareth wove his way through them all with a grace only a soaring bird could match.

She sank into one of the velvet covered chairs at the side of the room to catch her breath, struggling to ignore the music that twitched at her feet to continue. The Goblin King glided to a precise halt before her.

"You've done something magic to the music," she panted.

He tilted his head like a bird, listening.

"The usual enchantments, nothing more," he shrugged.

"Us mortals can only take so much before we tire ourselves out," she smiled at his relaxed manner.

"It," he frowned, "it doesn't invigorate you?"

"For a time, then it is just exhausting, I have no energy left."

"That spell is supposed to feed energy to us; it does feed energy to us, but not you, how peculiar."

"Bring my stereo when you're done here. I have to head home. I hope you're feeling better?"

He smiled and held out a hand to pull her to her feet.

"Much, and I thank you, today, it was bad."

"Do you want to talk about it?" she asked softly.

He looked away.

"Don't force yourself," she said softly. "Go and have fun." She pushed him in the direction of the floor and headed towards the nearest mirror.

She stepped through to her apartment and skated through her short hall.

"Sarah?"

She almost slipped as Toby stuck his head out of the kitchen. She hadn't realised how late it was, she had invited Toby to dinner that evening and hadn't even started cooking yet.

"Bad day?" he asked, gesturing to the pile of Oreo packets.

"No," she skated into the room to remove her skates. "It was actually a very good one."


	3. Chapter 3: help?

A/N: For Guest2019 – ya need an account so I can PM you! Nevertheless, thanks for the wake up call on this chapter. Sept 2019: edited for the lacking characterisation.

* * *

**All I ask of you, is that when I cannot, would you . . .**

**help?**

Sarah put down the phone and stared blankly at the wall. She didn't quite know what to do. Oh, she did, she stomped down the hall and pulled her boots out of her closet and sank on to her bed. She tugged one on and then the other. She would have to go alone. She stood and stomped her feet right into the boots. That action made her feel just a little better.

She stomped her way across to the hall mirror and checked her appearance. When a leering Goblin King looked back instead, she yelped in shock.

"Jareth!" She flopped back against the wall behind her, her heart hammering.

He grinned at her reaction.

"Come on in, out of the mirror, I have to check my outfit."

He stepped through and lounged against the wall, doing his own checking as she turned and primped and pulled her shirt and skirt into place.

"Quite lovely," he said with an appreciative smirk.

She let out a huff.

"It would be a great deal lovelier, if my date hadn't ditched me a minute ago!"

There was a beat of silence.

"You were refused by an inconsiderate suitor?" Jareth asked in an oddly fragile tone that made her look sharply at him.

"Goodness no. I'm not seeing anyone. That's the problem! I asked Simon from work to join me, it's my book launch tonight and the publishing company is hosting it at the largest book store in town. All Simon had to do was walk me into the building, fetch me the occasional snack while I sign books and walk me out. He could schmooze the rest of the evening chatting up everyone else. Now, I must be brave, like a proper modern girl should and not depend on a man."

"You are upset about this?" He asked brusquely.

"Of course! I like being an independent woman, but not when I'd arranged for a date to accompany me! What is worse, I am willing to bet that he will actually be there. If I called Jenny from the printing division right this moment, we will see what sort of family emergency Simon had. He told me he had broken up with her! And it wasn't even a romantic date," she spat waspishly.

"You wished it were?" he asked contemptuously as if such human trivialities were beneath his notice.

"With Simon?" Sarah snorted. "Goodness me no! He's the worst excuse monger I've ever known, and that is having to suffer him as a work colleague! I'd rather take you over him." She froze with her hand in the air and blinked. She slowly lowered her hand and inspected him as he stared at her in surprise.

"Your Majesty," she said hastily before her anger fuelled courage failed her, "would you accompany me to my book signing this evening? I know it's very last minute and probably horribly inconvenient to your evening plans, and I'd be willing to promise a small favour in there too, please?" She was begging by the end.

She watched his haughty stance settle into a comfortable smirking slouch against the wall beside the mirror. He considered for a long moment, his miss matched eyes drawing over her outfit, as if cataloguing her worth, or the value of her clothes. He then produced a crystal, held on the tips of his fingers and let it fall. It did not shatter so much as turn the air to glitter and light about him. The next moment he was clad in a trim grey suit, which perfectly accompanied her outfit and he held out a pale pink rose corsage for her wrist to match his buttonhole.

Sarah swallowed hard. He dressed beautifully on most days, but as stylishly done up in a suit as he was now, she was positively drooling. This would certainly not do at all. He was the Goblin King. The very same snarky Goblin King who had snatched Toby. What in the world had she been thinking, issuing that invitation? She was stuck, though, trapped by a few foolish words – again! She was furious with herself for allowing herself to be indebted to him, had she not learned the first time around?

"Thank you," she said hoarsely as he slipped the corsage on her wrist.

"Would you like me to provide the transport?" he asked and offered her his arm.

"Oh, what? You can drive? Ugh, sorry that came out badly. If you want?" she said flustered.

It was only as she tottered down the stairs beside him that she had a sudden realisation that one could drive a carriage as well as a car.

* * *

He owned a Lexus. A top of the range Lexus, driven by a uniformed chauffeur. Sarah sat in the back and fidgeted nervously with her clutch purse and peeked at him.

"Um, Jareth?" She had to straighten things out now, before he took the mile with the inch she had given him.

He smiled at her. Damn, but she was in trouble, he had that supercilious expression dancing in his eyes, and worst, a slight smugness.

"Thank you for doing this," she said primly, but the squeak in her voice betrayed her.

"Only a pleasure, precious thing," he purred, and she knew, just knew she was digging herself in deeper with the self-satisfied fae. "It is not often that I am invited to Aboveground parties."

There was something in the way he worded that that set off alarm bells in her head.

"Do you have to be invited Aboveground before you can go?"

He smiled leisurely at her. Damn, damn, damn! And she thought she knew the rules! In a moment of weakness she had forgotten he was the Goblin King and not just a casual friend. What had she done?

"Yes, I am fae and there are very particular rules. Also, the magic is different here, thinner, not so easy to work. I prefer not to remain Aboveground longer than a few days at a time."

"Oh," she processed that and tucked the fact away for use in her next book. If nothing else she could use his own words against him, and by way of subtle hints, disseminate it to others. She had that small skill at least.

* * *

Simon, the slippery snake, was helping Jenny out of her car when they pulled up before the entrance to the large bookstore. The miserable liar left his now not-so-ex-girlfriend there while he went to drive along the street to find parking. Their chauffeur drew up into the space he left and Sarah was about to hop out of the car when Jareth stalled her with a light touch to her hand, out of the view of the crowd clustered about the bookstore entrance.

"Marcus will open the door for us," he prompted.

She followed him out and settled on his arm feeling like a movie star walking down the red carpet, rather than a moderately successful children's author. Jareth drew her out of the car with overstated elegance and settled her on his arm. A camera flashed and she was shocked to feel him flinch and it seemed in that moment that she was drawn within a swirling bubble around him. It was utterly disorientating, as for a moment it was as if she saw the world clearer and more distant than what she had always known. She could feel the tension of his arm, as if he expected some sort of attack, yet his expression and movements were of supreme confidence. She managed as confident a smile, while furiously puzzling it through. The only thing she could compare it to was the disastrous Peach Dream, which meant that he was using magic of some kind. Yet he was interacting with the world as if it were there, and the people around them were not acting enthralled or bewildered as if this were a fae controlled dream. So, a personal magic, not an invasive projected magic. The author in her took screeds of notes; this was beyond her understanding, but this short walk into the bookstore, watched by admirers, showed his fae nature more than she had ever witnessed in the Labyrinth. She could not quite understand Jareth's reaction to the crowd. It then struck her. He dealt with lone runners. This before him now was a crowd of humans. Was he nervous? She felt suddenly overprotective, and stamped down the urge to laugh at his reaction. He had not been Aboveground nearly enough if this was his response.

"Pretend they are a whole lot of goblins to be bogged at your whim," she whispered to him, "especially, Jonathan," she pointed out the junior editor, "Petty, I mean Penny Mills, "she indicated the woman in charge of the illustration division who continuously argued with her over what her characters should look like, "and Simon when we find him."

"Why, precious thing, you are positively vicious tonight."

"Also, feel free to spread about your wonderful snarky attitude," she smiled at him, now quite pleased she had invited the Goblin King. He needed to get out more and learn the human way of doing things, though she knew he would not thank her for that observation.

He chuckled silently beside her.

* * *

The signing went off very well. There were many young teens clustered about to have her sign copies of the various books in the series. They were very very loosely based on her adventure in the Labyrinth, but even Jareth would be hard pressed to find the exact comparisons. She had had fun with her imagination and the story had taken wing to its own destination.

Jareth was politely attentive, and schmoozed the room better than a salesman with a suitcase full of deals. Everyone clustered about him and hung on his every word as he drifted from group to group. He had even snubbed Simon, pretending not to see him as he passed.

"Sarah!" She looked up to see Felicity, the manager of the event, standing beside her table with a glass of wine. The queue had dissipated for the moment while people helped themselves to the newly brought out canapés.

"Everyone says you arrived with Mr King."

"Er yes?" Sarah sipped at her wine and hastily munched the canapés on the plate. She wouldn't have much time before she was back to signing again.

"However did you convince him to come? He's a famous recluse."

A famous recluse? What did Jareth do in the Aboveground?

"He's an old friend of mine; he accompanied me as a favour."

Felicity blinked at her.

"You, my girl, are my new best friend. And that gentleman there is our target."

"Don't harass him, Felicity, you won't like the consequences," Sarah warned, honestly.

"Sarah, do you know who he is?"

Sarah felt a shiver run down her spine and shrugged, she wasn't admitting to having anything to do with the Labyrinth.

"Sarah!" Felicity almost cried. "He writes exceptional mysteries under the name Frederick Denholm. He only submits one manuscript every three years, and we've fought tooth and nail to hold onto his contract. The only thing better would be for him to actually do a book signing."

"He's that good?" Sarah said blankly. Her mind was in shock. Jareth wrote books? Jareth? Did he have the attention span for that? No, he could plot and plan with the best. Any book of his would be devastatingly magnificent even when compared to his naturally enthralling speech.

Felicity walked off. Not in a huff, Sarah realised, as a few minutes later she returned with a book. It was a slim volume, only three hundred pages, but when she cracked the front page, she knew without a doubt it was Jareth's book.

"Only the twilight obscured more than doors of Withercomb Manor, and that was only in the bitterest of winters."

She dug a few dollars out of her purse.

"Can you buy this for me?"

Felicity eyed her.

"You have to promise me you'll try to convince him."

"Try to convince whom?" Jareth asked, appearing like a slinking lion on her other side.

"Jareth!" She grinned up at him. "This is Felicity."

"We're acquainted," he said with cool politeness.

"She wants you to do a book signing, I, on the other hand, want you to sign this book just as soon as I can grab a moment to buy it."

Jareth took the book with the bills like a thick bookmark in the back and examined it.

"You don't want to start with this one. I'll lend you Mooreland's Falls first."

"Oh, I don't care; I'm buying all your books!" Sarah declared enthusiastically.

He hesitated at that then smiled with that slight brittle uncertainty. She didn't like that look. It was as if the magnificent illusion of the great Goblin King faltered and something dark and desolate within shone through.

"Please Mr King, just one book signing? It will boost your sales tenfold," Felicity all but begged, breaking that unnerving moment. Sarah shook her head, he was fae. She had to keep that in mind, as haughty and compelling as the Goblin King was, he was fae.

"Miss Parsons, we have already discussed this," Jareth informed her with cool politeness, "I am not interested in publicity that is your business. I do not discuss my books with others, which is what happens at these events. As previously stated, I regret I cannot comply. Also, please do not make a scene, for it would make it difficult for me to accompany Miss Williams for the rest of this evening."

He gave her a slight bow and strode off to buy the book Sarah had handed to him.

"That man!" Felicity sniffed. "As dreamy as he is stubborn! Mr Phillips is going to be so mad at me in the morning!" She cringed at her boss's reaction then hurried off to find one of her many underlings to recruit them to her cause.

Sarah looked up as Jareth placed both Mooreland's Falls and Withercomb Manor onto her table with her receipt stuck in like a marker. In his hand, he held the first in the series of her books.

"Why," he said in a lilting voice that she instantly knew he meant no good, "do I find the shade of Hoggle as the hero in this little adventure?"

Abruptly Sarah wished her signing queue were a mile long so that she had an excuse not to speak to him.

"It's not Hoggle," she muttered, her treacherous ears went pink.

"No?" he flipped through the book, "and I'm not seeing Sir Didymus as the loyal sidekick?"

Damn, damn, damn, this was bad.

"You are seeing what you want to see," she told him primly, never mind he was right.

"And this character, Garrick?"

Oh, she was so dead.

"Pale hair, blue eyed, exquisite fashion sense though tending to the reds and blues, uses magic," he trailed off and seated himself beside her in the seat Felicity had vacated.

"Jareth, you'll scare off the kids if you keep that expression on your face," she hissed at him. It was a cross between a predatory stare and outright dark amusement.

Only just then people wandered back over to her table for signings.

"Who is your favourite character?" Jareth asked the first boy, a skinny ten year old.

Sarah signed as fast as she could and left the children chatting happily to Jareth about what they liked about the series. One kid squinted at him.

"You look just like Garrick, except you should wear blue."

"Indeed," Jareth purred with that menace that spoke of consequences. Sarah did her best to ignore him. She was saved by Felicity's return, along with Mr Phillips, she did not know what strings the woman had pulled to invite her boss, but there he was.

"I will do one signing," Jareth said coolly, "at the presentation of my next book; you will have the manuscript within the next month." He held up a finger at Felicity's gasp of delight. "On one condition, that the lovely Miss Williams accompanies me."

"Excellent! Miss Williams, clear your calendar for New York, second weekend into the Summer Vacation. You will be Mr King's escort for the two days."

Sarah gaped at him as Mr Phillips left.

"You are unbelievable!" she croaked.

The children around him curiously asked what books he wrote, and he brushed them off lightly and diverted them back to the books they loved.

* * *

With the usual jumble that her life was, she only read her way through his series of books and to Withercomb Manor by the time she was on her flight over. She walked numbly off the aeroplane and took a taxi to the hotel where she met Jareth and Felicity and his publicity crew. She shot him a vastly betrayed stare, which he didn't notice. He was too busy being charming to notice her mental state.

Tucked in the back of a taxi beside him and on the way to the signing, she leaned over, and ignored his smirk to hiss in his ear.

"Tabitha Stirling!" she growled at him.

His smirk vanished and his face morphed into a very self satisfied yet honest smile.

"You underhanded piece of work!" She poked him hard in the thigh. "You make me look like a cruel wicked witch and Toby like a saintly darling!"

"Only it is a tale about Tabitha and her brother Sebastian," he said with all reasonable aplomb.

Sarah opened her mouth to protest as he smoothly continued.

"Unless you care to discuss Garrick?"

"Touché," she shut up and slumped back in the chair. With that she was neatly reminded that he was the Goblin King, and not some human author to be trifled with.

She peeked at him a while later to find him watching her with a tentative expression. It didn't suit him at all, and it was gone the moment she focussed on what she had thought she had seen. A bland expression of elegant ease now adorned his face.

She stuck her nose in the air. She had seen it; she was not going to pretend otherwise.

He drew back and raised an eyebrow.

She began to laugh and he grinned at her, his eyes twinkling.

"Please tell me that this new book doesn't have Tabitha Stirling in it."

His shifty expression had her sneaking a copy from the promotional pile as soon as they arrived. She only got a chance to crack it open when he sat down to sign his books; the queue snaked out of the door. Page three found Tabitha in a mud puddle and she felt like crawling under the chair in mortification. She was going to the Goblin Castle tonight to hunt through the entire confusing mess of passages off the Escher Room until she found his study and, and, she ran out of steam. She watched him happily chat to customers, refusing very politely to make any comment on his books, and signed his pseudonym all over them. She watched the people, from mid teens to elderly adults, all of them saying such wonderful things about the books. That strange fragility that she had glimpsed was completely gone, and so was the suave maniacal charm that belonged to the Goblin King. He enchanted people, yes, but it was a deeper, rawer enchantment, fuelled by their own desires and not his personal illusion magic. In this manner, he was Frederik Denhelm for the night, as human as any fae king could pretend. Yet, in the fae manner, he still took the power granted him and used it exquisitely to his own purpose. She stood, took his newest book and began to work the crowd. By the end of the evening, she had shifted forty books all on her own.

Jareth turned to Felicity then, after all the customers were gone.

"Miss Parsons, allow me to remind you that my contract states that I do not have to make public appearances. I would ask that you honour my request. This was a once off occasion and will not occur again."

He left Felicity with an expression of extreme frustration on her face and Mr Phillips hurried after him to assure him that that would be the case.

Sarah went back to her hotel, after they had checked out and Jareth had been driven away in his personal Lexus Mr Phillips waved her over.

"I don't know what you said to convince him, but you have our heartfelt thanks. He said to give you this."

It was a signed copy of his latest book. She flipped through it and stopped as on the thirteenth page, on the thirteenth line were the words 'turn back, before it's too late,' underlined in the same pen.

She flipped through the rest of the book and there, on the very last page, 'it's further than you think, time is short,' stood with the same wriggly line under it.

She held the thirteenth book in the series, she realised. Was this some kind of warning to her? He'd said those exact words before she had run the Labyrinth. She pretended she didn't just shiver and thanked Mr Phillips.

* * *

She walked back into her apartment having finished the book on the flight back home. It was her life, his life, Toby's life and various incidents in the Goblin Kingdom, all woven into a tale in the guise of a mystery centred about Riverton Towers where Tabitha had fled at the end of the previous book. However, it was a tale in which Tabitha was not a witch, but a lost soul searching for her purpose in life. It was his distant but poignant commentary on her personal existence.

She smiled. She did not have his ethereal grace, magic or sense of timing. Yet she had enough fire in her to respond to the clear challenge he had issued. She was due her sixth book that year and damn if the character of Garrick wasn't going to find himself dragged through a hedge backwards.


	4. Chapter 4: defend?

**All I ask of you, is that when I cannot, would you . . .**

**defend?**

Sarah slept peacefully. This was a normal state of affairs. She had very firmly told the goblins that the moment her light was out only silence was to be heard in the house. Calling Sir Didymus at the Bog and kicking the goblins out before his home did wonders for compliance.

She woke to scrapings, chittering and hasty whispering. She silently reached for the baseball bat she kept between her wall and her bed. She was a single woman living alone, and to have something to hit things that went bump in the night helped. She cracked an eye, but couldn't see much in the dark. No, she saw movement.

"Kingy says no!" a goblin hissed.

"But Hoggle says get Sarah, for Kingy!"

"Where's Hoggle? He's not stationed in the throne room like we are!"

"Yeah, Kingy remember us!"

"Often!"

"Alright," Sarah groaned and smacked her bedside light on, "what's eating Jareth now?"

She wasn't expecting her entire floor to be swarming with goblins. She sat up in bed and blinked at them as much as they did her.

"What did he do? Threaten to bog you if he set eyes on you? Which of you put superglue on his throne last week?"

Several put up their hands then hastily tugged them down when they realised what they had confessed. They gave her a betrayed stare.

"Not us, Lady!"

"No, it's a runner!"

"Jareth hates anyone interfering with the runners. Just leave it!" She flopped back onto her pillow and her hand flapped about for the lamp switch.

"They wished away a herd of puppies and a funny baby."

"A herd of puppies?" Sarah lifted her head. It was too early for this.

"They're everywhere!"

"Eat our food!"

"Drink good grog!"

"Drunk puppies everywhere!"

Sarah stared at the clock at her bedside and blinked.

"Damn it Jareth, it's three in the morning!"

"It's eleven hours into the run!" a goblin corrected her.

She pulled herself upright and rubbed her eyes.

"Okay, everyone out my room, I'll be out in a minute."

* * *

Sarah didn't bother to change out of her pyjamas. She simply pulled her college hoody on over them. She dragged her messy hair into a tail then tugged her sheepskin boots on.

She headed to the bathroom for a quick round of necessities and tried to wake up by scrubbing her teeth. It made her feel better, but by no means kicked her brain into gear. She slipped out into the passage yawning and stretching kinks out of her back.

"Go on, everyone back to the Labyrinth."

They all hopped through the mirror, which led to one of the side rooms off the throne room. She stepped through

There was an odd smell in the air, like eucalyptus leaves and something sour. She wrinkled her nose when she caught the scent of fouled diaper. She smirked slightly. The Goblin King was so cocky and suave, but she bet he had to change baby diapers at least a few times for every runner that came through.

The goblins were all hovering in the side room, peering out, and not actually venturing into the throne room. Sarah stepped through them and peeked in, no sense in irritating Jareth further than he was.

She froze. The room had at least twenty eight week old puppies swarming all over it. They looked to be mongrels, of all colours and shapes. There were goblins trying to keep them out of the Esher Room and others had built rather effective three foot high barriers over the doors and the window opposite the throne. Jareth, however, knelt before his throne with a nest of blankets and was carefully dripping what looked like milk into an infant's mouth. That alone would have shocked her, but it was rather the bloody bandages about the child's head and the missing forearm that got her gut.

Now that she looked at the puppies, many of them looked worse for wear too.

"Jareth?" she whispered.

He flinched and shot her a bloodshot stare of alarm, then such a filthy glower at his goblins that they all scrambled back into her house and shut down the gateway.

"Hey!" She smacked the wall where it had been, now she was stuck here with a furious Goblin King. She carefully picked her way through the tiny dogs.

"You don't need to see this, Sarah," he said gruffly. "Go back home."

"I can't. Your goblins closed the mirror portal. Jareth, let me help."

He took a controlled breath.

"There's nothing to be done," he said sternly. "Go to Ludo, it is not safe here."

He was shaking. That alone shocked her enough to throw caution to the wind and approach him. She had never seen him in such a state, not even after she had bested him at the end of her run.

She crouched down beside him and he hastily draped his cloak over the child.

"Sarah, please," he ground out harshly.

"Jareth, if that child is dying and you're sitting its death watch, then damn you but let me help."

She knelt beside him and tentatively put a hand on his back. He stiffened, but her touch seemed to loosen something within him as words poured out of him, hoarse and furious.

"The contract states that the child is mine once wished away, mine! And I cannot get the magic to take! I don't even know where the runner is in the Labyrinth! I've sent out an order of execution."

Sarah lightly rubbed his back. His magic, as far as she knew, was mostly dreams and illusion, hence the Labyrinth. He must have physically built it.

"An order of execution?"

"The runner is fair game to anyone who can kill them." He sounded exhausted.

"The people of your kingdom are kindly for the most part, but I do not know all of them. I assume you have good hunters and able butchers among them."

He took a soft shuddering breath and nodded.

"That's why it is dangerous for me," she realised, "they would not know me."

He froze at that and the next instant, she found herself tucked in at his side with his cloak over her.

"Do not move from under here," he growled.

.

She knelt beside him as he carefully soothed the child. It seemed to be asleep mostly, and whenever it stirred Jareth would dribble the milk in for it to drink.

She sat in silence.

"This," he whispered to her once the baby was still once more, sleeping at peace, "this, Sarah Williams, is unfair; a child who has never lived to suffer so."

"I was wrong and I am sorry," she could not say anything else. She wrapped her arm around his back and gave him a hug. He felt all skin and bone under his thin silk shirt.

"Is there any way to shorten the time limit?"

"No!" he hissed. "Thirteen hours for the hunt. Thirteen hours this babe has for recovery. She is soothed now, but at the edge of life."

"How will the change take?"

He did not answer, and she did not ask again.

"I have a bit of magic," she whispered cautiously, "but I don't know how much good it will do."

"You have magic of the spoken balance. To summon those who bear magical names. To counter spells and deeds wrought by magic. You do not have the touch of life and growth. Very few have. None in my kingdom." He sounded so weary.

"Oh," she murmured.

There was a sudden boom outside and the baby awoke and screamed. The dogs howled and barked. Jareth cursed in a language she didn't know, but it was all guttural and highly expressive for all the expletives he was using. There was utter pandemonium in the city below and Sarah saw a fire start up.

"Here. Take the bag and the child. Go into the Escher Room and climb downwards, as far as you can go. If the option to take a stair downwards is to the left or the right, take a right. When you can climb no more, find a passage off and walk along it as far as you can go. Hopefully it will be quiet there."

Sarah scooped up the baby in its basket and pinched the bag of milk closed and stopped when Jareth grabbed her arms and spoke a whisper of odd words over her.

"Can you see the clock?"

She nodded at the hazy vision of an oval that appeared as she looked to her left.

"After the thirteenth hour return the way you left. And only after." He removed his cloak and draped it over her shoulders and she gasped at how weak his magic seemed as he flared it around himself. He grumbled something else under his breath, and she gasped as she felt a hot flare of a very uncomfortable magic and he was clad in his black armour, only this time he wore a helmet and drew an arming sword from the air. He neatly stepped over the barrier and addressed the goblins there.

"Stay here. If anyone but me comes up this passage, hide and attack from where they can't see you."

"Yes Your Majesty!"

"City burn, Kingy!"

He turned and marched on.

* * *

Sarah scrambled into the Escher room and began her descent. When she came to what was the last step down, there were several sideways and up, she found a passage off that looked long. She hurried to the end of it, but the end, though not filled with dog howls and barks, was filled with explosions and shouts from the city below. Sarah settled the baby in a wide alcove and realised they were near the top of the castle. She let the child have drips of milk as Jareth had done and she calmed after a while.

She peered down anxiously watching the bucket chain forming and quite effectively kept the fire from spreading, but didn't do much for the burning house. There were flashes of light and cracks of gunfire. Why had Jareth gone with a sword when she knew his goblins had guns? She would have to get him a few pistols at least, or a shotgun.

She fed the baby some more milk and when she settled again, glanced down once more. She almost had heart failure. There, in the centre of the square, surrounded by what looked like every denizen of the Labyrinth armed to the teeth, was Jareth and a person in a dark shirt and jeans. They faced off, sword against what looked like an iron pipe and a tazer of sorts. Jareth countered it with flashes of searing white magic, and deadly speed. She had not been aware of how fast he could move, but his opponent clearly had weapons training as they held their own against him. It was a blur and clash of metal and they jumped back, both injured by the way they clutched at themselves. They circled and feinted at each other then Jareth saw an opening and ploughed in. He was absolutely relentless. In his attack, he managed to send the tazer skidding across the plaza. A few of the goblins grabbed it and it was soon lost in the crowd. They raised spears and lances against the man, but they didn't have to defend themselves as the Goblin King was suddenly there. The stroke was an executioners one, but his opponent surged back at the last moment, and Jareth's blade caught them across the chest. Jareth then shouted something in a language that made her ears hurt and sour sulphurous fire slammed down from the skies like a meteor. The entire castle shook and everyone was thrown off their feet. Sarah snatched the basket and dropped them onto the passage away from the window. Dust and cobwebs shook loose and she threw the cloak over herself and crouched over the baby. The child began to cry. She fed her milk again and she slowly soothed. Jareth must have drugged the milk with a mild sedative and painkiller for that to work. When she was done, she risked a peek over the edge. Jareth was no longer in the empty square. A group of goblin guards now stood watch over a heap of slag where the Goblin King's opponent had been. She couldn't find the king in the milling mass below, then it suddenly began to rain over the burning house. She found Jareth crouched by the well, operating a wind spell of sorts. As soon as the fires were out, he pushed himself to his feet and began giving orders. Soon most of the people were headed out of the city, back to their homes.

She checked the time; the clock had stopped on the thirteenth hour. She carefully picked up the baby, and made her way back up through the Escher Room. She had to stop several times to feed the little girl and soothe her. She finally found the throne room exit and hesitated. Jareth had given orders and goblins were nothing if not enthusiastic. She sat down just out of sight to wait for the Goblin King himself to return.

* * *

She heard him before she saw him.

"Take the dogs down to the small audience room. Barricade the doors as you have here. Give them water and hay to sleep on. See they are fed in the morning and evening and draw lots for the one who goes in to clean up their mess every four hours. Do not loose even one. They are her inheritance."

The goblins called to others and there was scuffles and yapping as they obeyed.

"Sarah's apartment!" he called and there was a chorus of relieved voices as those goblins piled through and set about helping the others with the dogs.

Sarah looked up as he rounded the stair and drew up short to see her there. He knelt beside her, still hidden by his helmet and dark armour. He produced a fragile crystal and dropped it gently onto the baby's chest. For a moment she cried weakly then she changed. In her place was now a wriggling little goblin, still missing most of her right arm, and eye, but healed. Jareth peeled the bandages off and gently inspected her with a critical poking of his fingers.

"You shall be Meg, hound keeper. Your hurts are avenged. I have just the family for you."

Sarah went with as he stood and nodded for her to follow. They walked through the castle until he came to the servants' quarters. On seeing their king, the goblins poured in from every room, to watch.

"This is Meg; she will be a hound keeper, as all the dogs came with her. Cat, your family are hound keepers, so you will raise her and teach her the ways of raising dogs. She's missing bits, see if you can't get a patch for her eye and a hook for her hand. You may petition that from the treasury."

"We've got friends who can sort that, and will send the bill," a stout goblin who came up to Sarah's waist declared. "The missus will be pleased with another brat, even if she's only half a brat."

"Cat," Jareth said quietly, "petition directly to me if she dwells in nightmares."

"Will keep an eye on that, Your Majesty."

Jareth's eyes took on a peculiar soft expression as he examined the little goblin snuggled up against his chest. Sarah looked away as she saw the faint pang of regret in longing in his eyes as he smiled brightly down at his subjects about him.

"Here's the babe." He handed her over to the gruff goblin who was soon surrounded by curious well wishers.

.

Sarah trailed after Jareth, as they went back to the throne room. He tottered over to his throne and sank down in it. He grimaced at all the debris and pieces of rock and ash scattered across the room.

"Sarah," he tugged off his helmet and she gasped. He had a purple bruise all the way down his cheek and neck.

"You're injured!"

He gave her a steady look as if she were stating the obvious.

"Sarah, the next time the goblins call you like that, please ignore them."

"No!" she marched over to him. "No, you don't get to shut me out like that! If I can help you, I will!"

He blinked up at her.

"Sarah, I had to kill a man tonight. I am not in the mood for arguments."

"I am not one of your citizens, Your Majesty. You needed help. I gave it."

"You could have been killed!" he thumped his gloved hand on the throne.

"Yet instead I kept an injured child alive. Don't shut me out because you're exhausted. You're hurt, tired and clearly in a foul mood. Come along; get along to your chambers and to bed!"

"You think to dismiss me in my own throne room?" he shot to his feet and scowled down at her.

"No, I think to tell a tired man he needs some care."

"I won't sleep tonight, nor tomorrow."

"That's crazy. Don't you have anyone under you that the fire squads and other services could report to?"

"No."

"Fine. I'll sit here by the chicken pit and stall anyone who comes. Go across to my apartment, have a shower and take some painkillers and have a twenty minute nap on the couch then come back."

He blinked at her. She knew she had him at the mention of a shower.

"That's not an entirely bad idea."

Sarah promptly sat down at the edge of the pit an saw several goblins peeking around the doors watching the exchange.

Jareth noticed.

"Sarah will take petitions but she cannot grant anything, don't try your luck."

He then strode across the room and through the mirror portal.

* * *

Word that the king had granted Sarah the hearing of petitions, spread like wildfire. The throne room was soon packed. Sarah sent two of the goblins that hung around her apartment more often than not for a pen and pad and made the Goblins sit in a row and wrote down each request, no matter how many she dismissed more filled the space. Her hand grew tired, but she kept writing. She had four pages covered back and front by the time Jareth returned, still in his armour but smelling like her peach blossom shampoo. He wore no make up, and the bruise across his jaw looked painful. He did a double take at the rows of Goblins, but Sarah kept at it as he seated himself in his throne.

"That's enough for tonight. Go and rest." He waved at them to shoo them out.

They trooped out rather subdued.

Sarah handed him the yellow pad and he flipped through the petitions with a raised eyebrow.

"Water and sewerage problems on Tin Street, pot holes on Hog Road, theft and housebreaking on Hen Street. These aren't things they usually bring me. I heard about the theft before the runner came through, that's been handed to the sheriff."

"It sounds like the sort of thing that should go to a city council."

"They have a City Mayor; he doesn't read English though, so you'll have to read it for him."

"Can any of them read?"

"A few can, if they were old enough when wished away."

"I'll leave this with you then, and be through to help with what I can after I've caught a few more hours sleep."

"Sarah, be about your day. These lands are not your concern."

"I'll come in six hours, how about that. Then you can catch a few hours sleep and I'll either get more petitions, or teach the goblins new songs to sing."

"Sarah," he said in a sharp voice, and she shivered as he went from cajoling friend to the full authority of the Goblin King. The nap had done him that much good. "While I appreciate you trying to help, you are not ruler here. Leave. Be about your business."

Sarah fidgeted with his cloak that she wore draped across her shoulders and realised quite how out of line she had been.

"Oh, that really sounded like I want a chunk of your job. I can honestly say that I don't. Promise. I only wanted to help a tired and hurting friend. Sorry that it came out wrong. Truce?" She held out her hand to him and he slowly lifted his and lightly trailed his fingers the length of hers.

"Truce," he smiled slightly as he recognised the apology, and to her astonishment, accepted it.

"Feel free to visit when you need a break, Your Majesty." She stood up and stretched out her stiff back.

"You won't see me or the goblins for a few days; this mess will take a while to clear up, but thank you for the offer."

She undid the clasp of the cloak and handed it to him. He squinted at her clothes with a bemused expression.

"Are you wearing pyjamas?"

"It was three in the morning, Jareth, yes." She blushed at his sudden smirk as she tugged down her hoody.

"Good night." She beat as dignified a retreat as she could and hastily hopped through her mirror portal and closed it.

* * *

Over the next week, she walked into her apartment to find Jareth curled up on her couch with her alarm clock beside him set for twenty or ninety minutes, and left him to sleep. She made sure to leave a heap of sandwiches, a flask of coffee and fresh fruit beside him on the coffee table. The tray was always empty by the time she'd noticed he'd gone. She couldn't find any legal pads in the apartment by the end of the week and added them to her list of items that habitually vanished into the Goblin Kingdom, along with Oreos, apples, permanent markers and string.


	5. Chapter 5: shelter?

**All I ask of you, is that when I cannot, would you . . .**

**Shelter?**

"I'm really sorry Sarah, I'm already sharing my room as it is," Toby said over the phone.

"It's okay, I'll find another friend to take me in."

"That's really bad luck they won't let you stay three extra days."

"Yeah," Sarah said, but didn't elaborate. It was embarrassing enough receiving two warnings and an eviction notice. She hadn't been aware of how loud goblins could party until someone had taken a video camera and filmed what they could see through the window from the parking lot. No one had caught any goblins on tape but she knew the songs they sang.

She had found a house share at the edge of the city, and had managed to snag the tiny outside garden suite in the back yard, but could only move in there on Sunday after the current occupant moved out on the weekend. Her lease with her apartment ended at the end of the month on Wednesday, which left three days for her in limbo.

"Speak to you later Toby," she said and put down the phone as he wished her luck.

She pulled a face at the mirror and several goblins pulled worse ones back at her. It clanged across her mind like a bell of doom. The Labyrinth, and more particularly, the Goblin Castle had to have at least one room to spare. She hurried to her room and pulled on her best formal dress, did her hair and make up to perfection, then dug out the bulk box of Oreo cookies she kept stashed in the bottom of her closet. She hesitated then fished out the bottle of wine she had been gifted and was keeping for a special occasion. She checked herself in the mirror and the goblins eyed the box with eager interest. They could read the word Oreo as she had been teaching those who hung around her flat. Some of them could now make their way through simple children's books without too much stumbling.

She stepped through, her mirror now permanently opened into the alcove off the throne room. She wondered if it was a way for Jareth to keep tabs on which goblins visited her. She peeked through to see him lounging on his throne, absently watching Cat the goblin and his littlest daughter and two of her now six month old puppies who could all sit on command.

"And no nightmares?"

"One or two, but the usual sort," Cat reported. "If she's buried in with all her siblings and too warm, or wraps herself up in the blanket and can't escape. No terrors for Your Majesty to worry over."

Jareth nodded.

"Admirable work, you are dismissed."

The Goblin whistled and the puppies trotted after him as he led his toddling daughter from the room.

Sarah put her head around the edge of the room and waved. He raised an eyebrow at her.

"You usually just barge in," he said intrigued.

"This time I have a petition to bring before the Goblin King," Sarah stayed in the alcove until he sat up straight, curiosity covering his face.

"Sarah Williams, if you would approach the throne with your petition."

The goblins already in the room perked up at the sight of the Oreo box and there was an excited whispering and muttering as they all watched the king with great anticipation.

She placed the box before him and handed him the bottle of wine. He smiled.

"Gifts also, this must be some petition."

Sarah took a deep breath.

"I need a place to stay for three days."

He blinked.

"You wish to stay in the Labyrinth for three days?"

There was something about the way he said it, that rang warning bells in her mind.

"Is there something wrong with that?"

"You know the tales of fairyland? Not many of them are wrong. Time moves differently here. I could not be sure that you would return to the mortal world in three days or three weeks."

"Okay, then can I ask a slightly different favour. I need to move apartments, and I need to store my furniture for three days. Do you have a room in the castle I can stash my things?"

He set down the bottle of wine and stood up.

"Sarah? What's happened?"

"I got evicted from my flat."

"Why would they evict you? Are your landlords unpleasant?"

"No! Your goblins threw one too many rowdy parties! They caught it on video!"

The speed at which the throne room cleared of goblins was phenomenal. Jareth's face didn't even have time to twitch into a twist of fury before all that was left in the throne room were the two of them and several bewildered chickens.

Jareth stood for a long moment, and she could see the strain it took for him to tamp down his simmering fury.

"Why didn't you tell me?" he asked in a hurt tone, as if it took all his willpower not to bog his subjects en mass, and saved none for his usual haughtiness.

"I thought they would listen to me, they usually do. Only, I've been volunteering down at the children's home for the past few months." She didn't add that was to help them with their homework to try and discover the best way to teach goblins. "I came back after ten most nights to a quiet house, I had no idea how bad it was until they videoed it."

"They could see the goblins?" Jareth sounded alarmed.

"No, but you can hear every word they're singing."

"I am sorry." He looked awkward at having to apologise. He held up his hand and ticked off the wild celebrations he could recall. "There was a party at new year, oh and winter solstice and of course, Yule, and then Twelve Days, oh, and most recently the Equinox, which is cause for much celebration around here." He cringed a bit at having five distinct wild parties to excuse. "I did not think they would take their celebrations into the Aboveground," he added apologetically.

"What's done is done," she shrugged then blushed scarlet at having repeated a paraphrase of his words back at him.

He gave her a saucy wink. She didn't quite know where to look.

"Sorry," she laughed sheepishly.

"Do you need help with the larger furniture?"

"What?" Sarah exclaimed.

"You may stay here three days and store your furniture here. I am obliged to assist you, as my subjects have put you into this situation."

"But what of the time dislocation?"

"As long as you step out into the mortal world every thirteen hours you should be able to keep mostly to the mortal day, but you may miss one here or there? Our Underground and Aboveground are linked but not time synced. Let Toby know, he'll be able to tell your parents you haven't been kidnapped."

She smiled in utter relief and gave him a hug.

"Thank you so much!"

She did not expect him to return the gesture with a tight bear hug.

"I'm sorry it happened in the first place. I will make sure they know the rules for your new residence."

* * *

Toby, the Goblin King, several goblins, Hoggle, Ludo and Sir Didymus getting underfoot, helped her empty her flat. There was a room off the passage down the first flight of stairs in the Escher Room which the Goblin King had given to her. It was easily three times as large as her flat and her furniture looked lost in one corner, but they situated her bed beneath a window and created a private alcove by placement of her wardrobe and bookshelves for her dressing area. Once they were settled, Sarah could see the goblins curiously inspecting her things.

"You got stacks of books just like Kingy," one of the goblins remarked sagely.

Sarah caught Jareth's grimace.

"You have a library?"

"A _private_ library." He did not give an inch.

Toby had only ever seen the castle on his infrequent visits as a much younger child to play with the goblins. He now peered out of the window at the Labyrinth as it expanded towards the horizons in all its glory and gave a low whistle.

"That is some defence about the castle. I'd either say you were paranoid or compensating for something."

Jareth slung his arm about Toby's shoulders.

"Would you like to run it?" he purred invitingly as he held out a crystal.

"Jareth!" Sarah warned as Toby shook his head.

"Sarah's told me enough horror stories of the place. You couldn't tempt me enough to try."

"A true pity, there are some magnificent sights to be seen within its passages."

"That wasn't an invitation to work on the temptation," Toby rolled his eyes at the King. "Do I have your word you'll look after my sister? I'm not going to come back tomorrow and find her fifty years old, am I?"

"It could work the other way, she will return in a day and you will be fifty years older."

"That's not making me any happier with the situation. Will she be safe?"

Jareth snorted.

"No one is safe, Tobias Williams. She will be under my protection as a guest of my kingdom, but safe? No."

Toby glared at him and Jareth returned a gaze of sardonic disinterest.

"You think so little of me that I'd harm a guest under my protection?" he drawled.

"But I just asked that!"

"No, you asked a very different thing. You asked for her to be placed into a crystal and not touched by anything that may upset her. That is not living."

"Sarah!" Toby called. "He's doing it again!"

"Jareth, quit winding Toby up!"

Jareth smirked at him and Toby ducked from under his arm and noticed all the goblins about them watching the exchange.

"Weirdly, you all deserve each other," he said with fond exasperation.

"Kingy likes you, hasn't tried to bog you yet," one of the goblins told him.

Toby shuddered.

"I heard of that place," he muttered, giving Jareth's speculative expression a dark look. He turned sharply away. "If that's all Sarah, I need to get back. Laura and I have a date this evening."

"It is! I'll come through with you and use your mirror to return home. I need to drop off my keys with my landlord."

* * *

Later that afternoon, after she'd dropped off her keys, Sarah returned to the Labyrinth. She found Jareth not in his throne room, but in her room, sprawled across her couch reading one of the detective novels she kept on her bookshelf. All around him were goblins reading the picture books she had for them. So much for privacy, she realised. She walked over and fluffed Jareth's hair into his eyes as she passed, that was all the reaction he was going to get from her. She ignored his quiet chuckle as she picked up the book she had been reading at night. She flopped onto her bed and joined them.


	6. Chapter 6: protect?

**All I ask of you, is that when I cannot, would you . . .**

**Protect?**

Clad in her dressing gown and slippers, Sarah balanced the tray in her hands as she stepped between the boxes that lined the passage of the tiny garden suite she rented. Three months in and she still hadn't unpacked everything. The goblins had been on their best behaviour and had kept all their wild parties to the Castle. They had taken to inviting her over instead. Summer solstice had apparently been memorable, not that she could recall anything. One night of goblin grog had taught her to avoid the stuff, but also had taught her that coffee, along with a stack of honey toast was rather welcome the morning after.

She stepped into the throne room and found Jareth with his arm over his eyes, his leg over the side of the throne and his free hand snapping his riding crop against his boot. The way those goblins not still snoring winced when he did that, he was being petty on purpose. He peeked at her and took a mug off her tray and a slice of toast.

"You spoil us rotten." He shifted to sit up a little as the goblins shuffled over and took their cups. She made a few more trips as more goblins woke up, then settled on the step at the base of Jareth's throne. She usually sat in the chicken pit in the middle of the floor, but it still contained the most stubbornly snoring goblins.

She felt Jareth tap her head with his riding crop and snatched it away from him.

"That is mine," he protested.

"I claim the right of conquest," she returned dryly.

She squeaked as he leaned over, his mismatched eyes sparkling with delight.

"Ugh, you smell of grog and coffee, brush your teeth!"

"That's not a fair challenge," he protested. "Make it something interesting!"

"I challenge you to make it through a night of feasting and drinking without overindulging and being hung over the next morning."

"That's a dreadful challenge!" he protested and let his head fall on her shoulder. "Mmh, your dressing gown is so soft."

She pushed his head away.

"It's still a challenge." She waved the crop about like a conductor's baton. "This remains mine until I see it happen. I could extend it to include all Your Majesties subjects?"

"A more boring challenge has never been issued in this kingdom," he sulked and slumped back on his throne and went back to sipping his coffee.

.

Just then there was an almighty clattering in the passage and a crowd of miserable looking goblins scrambled through. There was a brief tussle as they discovered the coffee and confiscated cups from those who already had had half a cup. Some didn't bother and ran straight on into the Escher Room.

Jareth opened his eyes.

"Keep it down," he whined.

More goblins followed the first. Then one staggered over to the throne, panting like a bellows.

"Kingy!" He gasped for air.

"What now?" Jareth asked with irritated disdain.

"The carriage!"

He slumped back in his chair.

"I told you," he drawled with exaggerated patience, "the parade is next week at the equinox. You know to watch the sun markers, is it rising due east yet?"

"No!" The goblin all but jumped on the spot in desperation. "The carriage with the fluffy bits on it!"

The effect was instantaneous. Jareth seemed to sober up and fall into utter horror in the space of a heartbeat.

"Has it been seen? Who saw it?"

"Seen?" The goblin croaked. "It's here!"

"Why haven't the bells sounded?" Jareth demanded and sprang up from his chair and stumbled across the instant pandemonium as all the goblins about him made the swiftest exit Sarah had ever seen to the Escher Room. Even the chickens fled.

Sarah carefully set aside her own cup as she stood. She stepped around the now empty pit in the middle of the room.

"Jareth, what's wrong?"

"Gah!" He leaped backwards from the window and almost knocked her over as he darted behind her.

Then, in at the window, carried on a silvery carpet held up by hundreds of tiny fairies and magic, floated a beautiful woman with golden hair all pinned up with silver and the most sumptuous green gown. The instant she was through the window she landed on her feet.

"No welcome for me this time, Jareth?" she asked coquettishly, as she flipped open a fan.

Sarah stood frozen, she felt like some leftover prop unintended for the stage where it now found itself. The woman was stunningly beautiful.

"We were not aware of your intention to visit!" Jareth purred languidly. Sarah jumped as he placed a hand on her back as if to keep her between him and the woman.

"Can your intended not step in uninvited?" she asked in a hurt little voice. Sarah cringed; insincerity of any kind always galled her.

"Intended?" Jareth's voice went straight through an octave. He cleared his throat and spoke in a more controlled manner. "Ceceille, there is a great misunderstanding here, we have no such arrangement."

"Ah, but my father is soon to approach you about us, we would make an excellent match, don't you think?"

Jareth choked and made as if he were clearing his throat.

"Ah, Ceceille," he said in a bright tone of someone inventing things very rapidly, "you are far too late in revealing your more delicate feelings." His tone turned grave and Sarah staggered slightly as Jareth hugged her to his side. "The very manner of your approach and request insults my girlfriend, Sarah."

Sarah reached down and pinched his leg. He flinched but did not release her, or his act.

The woman noticed her for the first time. Sarah wondered by what excuse she had dismissed her in the first place. The look of disdain as she raked over her clothes made Sarah realise that luminous green fuzzy slippers accompanied by a lavender dressing gown and blue Sleepy Puppy pyjamas were not exactly throne room attire.

"You may keep her as a mistress if you insist on consorting with mortals," Ceceille sniffed.

"Excuse me?" Sarah exclaimed in outrage. She did not know whether to cry or laugh. She pitied the poor girl who did become Jareth's mistress. Yet she could not let the insult to her stand.

"You're not long for the world; you'll be gone in fifty years or less. Do not let whatever sweet nothings he has poured into your ear deceive you. Jareth has lived for thousands of years and will live for thousands more."

"It seems then," Sarah said in an overly thoughtful tone, "that he has had thousands of years to ignore the likes of you. Odd that he would choose the bed of a mortal of less than a hundred years in the world over you, or is it that something in your offer is lacking?"

She felt him shudder with silent laughter at her side and pinched him again. He tightened his grip slightly on her arm.

"You shameless hussy," she gasped, "have you any idea of his station?"

"Well that comforts me no end, you want him for his power and his land. Charming. Turn around and trot your little mercenary backside out of here."

"What other use is a king?" Ceceille asked in an artfully coquettish tone. "All he lacks to be properly presented before court is a queen at his side."

Sarah turned to look at Jareth who was wearing a rather good poker face of mild disinterest. His eyes gave him away though; he was on his last nerve.

"What court is this, darling?" Sarah asked pleasantly, hating the way Ceceille simpered. "We have not discussed other nations and powers."

"I believe she wishes an invitation to the Emperor's courts, which she will gain should she marry me. As a lesser King under his greater rule, I would visit on the occasion of my marriage and other high functions of state."

"Do we like the Emperor?"

"He bids us mind our territories and to desist from baiting our neighbours, he is an honourable overlord."

"What would he say to a mortal wife?"

"What he has ever said to mortals in the fae realms, as long as they don't cause succession wars, he doesn't care."

"And there we have it, Ceceille," Sarah smiled a touch too viciously.

The beautiful woman drew back, honest alarm entering her eyes now.

"You intend to marry him?"

Sarah turned to Jareth as he leaned over and planted a tender kiss on her cheek. He still smelled of coffee and grog, she fought to keep her face smooth.

"Ours is a match of the most subtle love, Ceceille," Jareth said with a haunted delicacy that had Sarah silently fighting laughter at his terrible overacting, "no station or wealth could split us asunder."

"Love!" Ceceille's shriek made Sarah wince and Jareth cringed at the pain in his head. "You're petty, shallow, and make a mockery of what a king should be! What would you know of love?"

Sarah strode away from Jareth, loosing herself in fury.

"Tell me, Ceceille, what was it that made you turn your head in his direction in the first place? Love is not on your agenda, so why does it trouble you so that it is on mine?"

"You mortals know nothing of love. It entwines two souls for eternity and only the sun and stars can outshine its beauty. He is fickle, feckless and faithless."

"Do you know anything of love? The little things? Helping someone up when they have fallen? Turning them to the right path when they have gone wrong? Running them through the gauntlet when they cannot be taught otherwise? Caring for something thought worthless when all others thought it dead?"

"Trivialities and the work of servants," she sneered.

"Everything I have listed Jareth has done and more," Sarah sneered at her. "He has more subtlety and understanding of love than you have wit." She swanned back to Jareth and he tucked her in at his side once more.

Ceceille gaped at her.

"You little strumpet! I am–"

"Insulting the one he counts his beloved, which would increasingly sour him to your suite by the same magnitude to which he loves me."

She gave a fierce squeak of pure frustration.

"King Jareth, our negotiations are at a tremulous point! For you to risk our most advantageous match in such an indecorous manner, speaks much ill of your character!" She turned about and the silvery carpet carried by fairies appeared and she sank onto it in a great huff and swept out of the window.

.

They watched her go and then a plumed carriage rattled away from the walls of the goblin city. She looked up at Jareth who still hugged her to his side, and looked a little wide about the eyes.

"With her lacklustre wit and my feckless fickle nature, we'd make an excellent couple," he declaimed airily.

"While I stand alone with love!" Sarah sighed dramatically. "Let me not to the marriage of true minds..."

Neither could hold it in any longer and they both packed out laughing. Jareth staggered back to his throne and collapsed into it, laughing so hard he clutched at his stomach. Sarah sat against the window ledge and shook with mirth.

"How do you do it?" Jareth panted and continued to laugh silently. "I could deliver such a speech and it would only have her more determined to pursue me, yet you, you sent her off!"

"Must have been the coffee talking," Sarah chuckled.

The goblins, hearing the laughter, crept back into the throne room.

"Tell the kitchens to prepare a feast this evening in Sarah's honour for sparing us a week of Ceceille!" Jareth declared.

Great whoops of delight sounded all through the Escher Room at this declaration and Sarah found herself hugged by every goblin that passed her. She sat on the ground handing out hugs and pats and straightening helmets as they swarmed her. They trotted off to the kitchens and their duties and only the guard and throne room attendants were left.

"I've got a wonderfully boring day of editing before me!" Sarah smiled at the still grinning Goblin King. "I'll be through tonight for the feast. Send someone to call me if she returns for an early encore. I will be sure to wear curlers."

She left Jareth chuckling as she went.

* * *

The next morning she came through with the first round of coffee. To her surprise Jareth did not take one but waved her off to share the mugs with the goblins.

"I believe I have succeeded at the challenge and won my riding crop back," he declared sounding oddly proud of himself.

Sarah laughed and went to fetch it where it hung next to her keys in the hall. She set down the second tray of coffee for the goblins and sauntered over. She leaned over and kissed him on the cheek, then handed it to him.

"For the love of my life," she murmured fluttering her eyelashes at him.

Jareth laughed heartily then grabbed her as she turned. She couldn't even get out a squeak as he tucked her beside him on his throne, his arm circled around her.

"No, from the love of mine," he murmured with a simple happy smile.

She made the mistake of looking questioningly up at him but he slouched back in his throne, his eyes closed. Several goblins trooped in then and he cracked an eye to order them to keep the noise down then seemed to doze off. Sarah sat, stunned. She trusted this act of his as far as she could throw him, but what worried her most was that for a moment his words had rung true in her heart. She bit at her lip, as her stomach did odd little flips of joy all around a shuddering pit of confusion. The Underground was dangerous and Jareth was perhaps the most dangerous thing in it, she tried to steel her resolve and keep that at the forefront of her memory. Only it was difficult with his hand resting gently on her hip and his warm chest at her back. She glanced back at his dozing form, and realised he simply expected her to let him nap and protect him for that moment from his goblins. She sipped at her coffee and smiled, that much, she could do.


	7. Chapter 7: endure?

**All I ask of you, is that when I cannot, would you . . .**

**Endure**

"Hey Sarah," as Toby spoke she could hear the sounds of the radio in the background, he was at their parent's house that weekend as Karen listened to the local classical station, "just calling you to warn you Mom's on the war path."

Sarah stared blankly at the piles of paper on her desk, she was in right near the end of editing her final draft of her next book and it had hit the difficult stage. She was not in the mood for Karen's histrionics.

"Er, gotta go, Mom's just picked up the phone to call you!" He rang off and Sarah had a moment to take a breath before her phone rang again.

"Sarah!" Karen declared in a tone fair but sweet, Sarah cringed, she knew what was coming. "I have just bought fresh linen for your bed in your old room and the place looks wonderful. Your father is mailing the train ticket today; we don't want a complication like last year where you could only make the weekend after Thanksgiving."

Sarah winced, it was only a two hour drive to her parents place, but her car was conveniently in at the shop this time last year, now she didn't have that excuse.

"Granny Williams has come down all the way from Seattle to be here this year, and is looking forward to seeing you."

Sarah made a sound of acknowledgement, so that was it? Granny Williams lived with her younger sister in Washington and usually visited at Christmas. It seemed Karen had planned this to the T.

"Excellent, and be sure to bring whomever you wish to invite as a guest," she added with bright hopefulness.

Sarah made a more strained noise of acknowledgement and crumpled up the page of notes she had in front of her in utter frustration.

"Your father will be pleased to see you then! Ooh, I've got to go, the pots on the boil. I'll call you later and we can talk details!"

Sarah dropped the phone onto her desk, and with a yowl of frustration threw the entire stack of edited manuscript at the wall. Only it did not hit the wall but the mirror and promptly vanished.

"Ow!" a goblin protested.

.

Sarah leaped up and ran through, thoroughly embarrassed. She and Jareth were on good terms, she was still a little cautious, but they had settled back into an easy enough friendship. It had been a relief; she did not know what to do with her feelings, not that she had any. No, a good friendship was all they needed; it balanced them both, being able to discuss things. Jareth had mentioned several betrothal contracts such as the one with Cecille and why he had declined them for reasons of politics, status or honest dislike. She had told him about her stepmother.

She gathered up her papers and cringingly gave him a tiny wave as he glanced up from his throne. He had a baby on his knee and the usual goblins about him. He stood languidly and strode across to her with the baby on his hip, a little girl by the pink romper she wore.

"Just collecting the pages and I'll leave you alone," she promised and glowered at him as he put the toe of his shoe on the last.

"You gathered enough magic to throw an item through the portal without you physically carrying it; that is very impressive. The boy who wished his sister away is still lost in the outer labyrinth, tell me what brought on such a feat?"

Sarah snatched up the last page and grimaced as she stood.

"Karen called me home for Thanksgiving," her tone said it all.

"Is Karen doing the annual 'why are you a year older and not yet married' haranguing?" he asked.

Sarah gaped at him in shock then snorted with laughter in sheer mortification.

"Wow, I never knew I complained that much that you noticed."

"You end up in the Labyrinth playing Scrabble with Sir Didymus and Hoggle afterwards and you spend days processing your irritation playing chase with the goblins. I can't help but notice every birthday, Thanksgiving and Christmas without fail."

Sarah groaned, completely humiliated.

"Well here's early warning for the next round of unhappiness," she faltered as she noticed a mischievous expression appear on his face. "What is it?" she asked cautiously.

He jiggled the baby on his hip as she grew slightly restless, and she calmed.

"Why don't we enter into a mutually agreeable accord for the season of festivities?" He suggested smoothly. "I shall accompany you to your festivities at Thanksgiving and you shall accompany me to mine at Yule. In this way we shall both have a significant other to make our nagging family members back off."

Sarah blinked at him.

"You get nagged over not having a wife?"

Jareth rolled his eyes.

"I have five younger sisters, four of whom are married and one who is silly with the idea of romantic love. Then there is my mother. Nagging is a light term for what I endure over Yule."

Sarah examined him in the pale sunlight that filtered through the window behind him; his blond hair glowed like a halo of the saint he was most certainly not.

"Why do I get the impression that this is going to backfire spectacularly?"

He grinned broadly, showing his sharp teeth. Sarah raised her chin, not liking the way he gazed predatorily down at her. However, it had lifted the dread she felt over Thanksgiving.

"Okay, but there are rules, Goblin King."

"And what would those be, precious thing?" he asked with a wicked smile that did odd things to her insides. She stoically ignored them and leaned closer.

"Don't mention to Karen that I wished Toby away. I want to survive Thanksgiving."

"Acceptable. In return, when you are with me and among my family members, you will be polite and agreeable. We may argue behind doors, but never before family. We don't want to give a hint of any discord between us."

"Okay," Sarah took a deep breath. "So, how did we meet?"

"That'll be easy, we've known of each other for years but formed a closer friendship at your book signing three years back. Keep to the truth and it will serve us well. Also we have Toby as a witness to previous friendships."

"Agh! Toby! I'll have to let him know the truth!"

"How good an actor is he?"

Sarah shook her head.

"He's too honest."

"Then just let him know not to reveal how we truly met and nothing of our mutually agreeable plan."

.

Sarah stepped back into her cottage as her phone rang loudly. She inspected the caller ID and groaned. It was Karen. She ran her hands through her hair. She had an editing deadline at the end of the week, no in four days if she was supposed to stay at her parents' house to attend Thanksgiving. She did not have time to spend an entire afternoon very carefully dodging Karen's insinuations and questions.

"What's wrong?" Jareth asked, he leaned against the wall of the alcove in his castle where her gateway opened.

"Karen, she's going to take my entire afternoon, and probably the next few days arranging Thanksgiving, never mind she already has it arranged. She just wants to have someone listen to her think. I can't I have a deadline, and," she gestured helplessly at the mess all over her desk.

"Pack it up, bring it over, you can work in my study."

"You have a runner," she said cautiously.

"A young boy of twelve, he'll make it through and not cause anyone much harm," Jareth said dismissively, "I need to go and check on him soon, so be quick."

Sarah simply gathered her rucksack and jammed her pages into two folders and shoved them inside. She added her pencil bag, a bottle of water and the box of cereal bars for snacks.

She let her phone on the table to ring off.

.

Jareth left the baby with the goblins who sang and danced with her, and waved her after him as he strode into the Escher room. She hurried after him, as the room was dreadful to get lost in, even if one could see ones destination. He took her up several floors, then across and around and down, then out into a wing of the castle she had never seen before. She guessed this must be the main keep she had seen from the distance. His throne room was in one of the towers, as far as she could work out from having leaned out of the window.

She blinked as several goblin servants ran up to him, all as scruffy as those in the throne room, but gawking at her.

"Lady!"

"Kingy, you bring Lady to meet Sidonie?"

They ran off calling for 'Sidonie.'

"Who is Sidonie?" Sarah asked, realising he was ancient and very likely to have an heir.

A soft smile crept over his face just then, as a petite blond girl in a neat print dress that would not have looked out of place in a Jane Austin play darted out into the passage after the excited goblins.

"Lady Sarah!" she gushed and lifting her skirts with one hand all but skipped over to peer up at her in clear delight. She looked sixteen and with her hair done in ringlets down her back, had a stylish grace to her. Her hair and the shape of her nose were the same as Jareth's as well as her eye colour.

"This is my youngest sister Sidonie," Jareth introduced her, "Sidonie, Sarah has a book deadline, show her to my study and allow her to work. You may interrupt her for tea and dinner, but she needs to work."

Sarah almost laughed at the way the girl tried to hide her impatient wriggle of frustrated excitement and disappointment.

"I'll be sure to be quiet," she promised as a bell chimed through the hall. "Oh, you've got a runner, Jareth!" she scolded as if leaving runners was not done, "I'll look after her, go!"

.

They watched him leave and the moment he stepped out of sight Sarah found Sidonie had slipped her arm into hers and tugged her down the passage. The walls here were stone, but had decorative tapestries hung at intervals between doors of elaborately carved wood.

"This way, oh I am so pleased to finally finally meet you! The last time I tried spying Jareth put me in an Oubliette! Can you believe it? That cad!"

"That was a bit harsh," Sarah agreed as Sidonie tugged a handle at one of the doors and drew them inside. Sarah blinked. It was a room the size of the throne room, and had desks situated under the windows and in one alcove was set three comfortable chairs around a low coffee table. The wall to her left was covered in a bookshelf, and the wall to her right had several maps were pinned to it. In the middle was what reminded Sarah of a gaming board, the entire Goblin Kingdom laid out under a gridded format with various markers in various places.

"Don't touch that," Sidonie warned as she released Sarah's arm, "he's planning strategies, and hates it when people move things. He's bogged people for less." She inspected the various desks and then briskly set about stacking papers and books onto a nearby shelf.

"Here, this is where you can work. Your view is of the Enchanted Forest, it will be calming for you if editing makes you as frustrated as it does Jareth. I'll retire to the alcove to read, until we can discuss things over tea."

Sarah had to turn away not to laugh, Sidonie reminded her of an over eager puppy. She dumped her work on the desk and soon sobered, she had so much work.

.

Sarah lifted her head from her notes as she heard the clink of china as Sidonie carefully arranged a light meal with a pot of fragranced tea. Just in time, Sarah thought, relieved and went to join the girl who delicately poured and handed her a cup, then fell directly into the interrogation, though she had calmed somewhat.

"Tell me about your family, Jareth has been particularly unforthcoming, it is most frustrating."

"My family?" Sarah mused as she sipped her tea, "my mother is an actress, and my father and his current wife are both in law, and my half brother is in marketing."

"You have a half brother!" Sidonie gasped.

"Jareth's my half brother also! I'm the youngest of five sisters, we all share the same mother. Our mother is the princess apparent."

"Oh," Sarah gasped, "you're royalty?"

Sidonie laughed.

"Of course not, we're all children of petty dalliance. Mother will have to marry to have a formal heir, and then we're to be turned out of the royal court."

Sarah blinked as Sidonie helped herself to a tartlet and bit at it delicately.

"That sounds horribly unfair."

"In a way it is," Sidonie sighed longingly, "to think I could have been a royal princess, but that is how it is. I'm lucky to have Jareth, he's promised me sanctuary if my mother weds before I am of age. My sisters have all made excellent matches themselves, so they have their own standing before court and Jareth's carved his own place in the world."

"How old are you?" Sarah asked curiously.

"I'm not yet fifty," she said shyly.

"And when is a fae considered an adult?"

"At eighty five, a most spectacular party is thrown, and I do hope mother does not marry before then, because then I will have a party at the royal palace. Only, with things as they are now, I'll be around to bother my brother sooner than later."

"Is your mother considering someone?"

Sidonie's laugh was almost a snort.

"Of course not! Yet my grandmother, the Queen, is considering someone for her. My grandmother only had two children in petty dalliance and both with the same beau. She thinks that six of us, with six different fathers, are quite ridiculous and threatened my mother to adopt one of us as heir and disinherit her if she has any more children."

"Would that happen?"

"Of course not, but you can never be quite sure with my grandmother. However, she is very definite when she puts her foot down, so mother is trying to be serious about her suitors now, and there are many very eligible bachelors who would make a suitable Fae King. But enough of our boring family politics, I want to know about you and your brother!"

.

When the sun set and as the gongs rang out over the Labyrinth to signal the end of the run, Sarah packed up her books.

"Are you going?" Sidonie lowered her book in dismay.

"I have to go, it's not safe for a mortal to stay long in the Labyrinth," Sarah explained.

"Oh, but I had so much to ask you about Aboveground, Jareth never lets me even have a peek! He made a magic veil so I can't even look out of your mirror."

"I am sure I can come and visit tomorrow and we can take lunch and tea together as we did today," Sarah compromised.

"I'll make sure he allows it," Sidonie declared emphatically.

* * *

The week before Thanksgiving was the most peaceful Sarah had ever had. When not interrogating her about Aboveground Sidonie spent her time reading, or working on small spells that involved beautifully scented flowers. Sarah managed to finish her editing on the last day to her great relief. Jareth wandered in as he did occasionally, and waited at the door as she slung her bag over her shoulder.

"I'll be there to fetch you in the morning, are we still collecting Toby?"

"Yes, Laura's father has the family attending some function over the weekend."

"Wish I could go with you," Sidonie said from Jareth's side, "but Mother has called me to attend her for the Queen's Autumn Gala, I'll draw you a picture if you take a photograph of your family."

"Are you two pen pals now?" Jareth raised an eyebrow sceptically.

"Of course," Sidonie brightened at the idea, "and we'll use the alcove where Sarah's mirror is as the dead letter drop, so make us a box the goblins can't get into."

Sarah sniggered at Jareth's indignant expression.

* * *

"Woah, Sarah," Toby exclaimed as he leaned around her to peer at the Lexus at the bottom of the drive, "when you said you would pick me up you never said it would be in style."

"Yeah," Sarah said as Toby grabbed his bag and coat then shut the door and screen behind him, "about that," she trailed off as Toby raised an eyebrow at her.

"Um." She could keep her act well enough before others, but this was Toby. He deserved better.

"Okay, Sarah," he grinned as he shrugged on his coat and they hurried down the drive to the car, "if it has you fishing for words, it's big!"

Like a coward, she said nothing. She let Marcus the driver open the door for them and Toby froze as he stuck his head in. Jareth sat primly on the far side of the seat, clad in elegant yet tight black jeans, with a blazer over a silvery jersey and shirt. His hair, as always, was stuck up everywhere. Toby plucked his head out and blinked at Sarah, then peered into the car as if to check what he had seen. He straightened up outside once more and howled with laughter.

"Oh, I know exactly what you're doing! This is going to be brilliant!"

"Toby, I swear, if you say a word to Karen, a word!"

Toby handed his bag to Marcus who put it into the trunk; he then slipped into the car and grinned at Jareth, delighted at being able to play the gooseberry. Sarah slipped in beside him.

"Toby," she said warningly.

"Afternoon, Your Majesty," Toby said politely and Jareth inclined his head slightly. "What did my sister trade to get you dressed in such boring clothes?"

Jareth smirked at him.

"Merely the opportunity to likewise wear fae fashions of my choosing at the appropriate occasion."

"You're going to pretend before your folks too?" Toby gasped, "for Christmas? Oh, man, get me some photos please! This I'm going to treasure." He suddenly looked very thoughtful. "Hoggle's going to be particularly interested."

"Toby, behave yourself!" Sarah scolded, she did not need Hoggle to deliver the annual 'Jareth is a rat and not to be trusted' lecture early.

"Oh, forgive me, sister!" He grabbed her and with a squeak and wriggle, she found herself deposited on Jareth's lap and Toby had contrived to take up the remaining seat. "You have to keep your, what's it, boyfriend, lover, fiancée company."

Sarah felt her cheeks heat up as Jareth put his arms around her stomach and rested his chin on her shoulder.

"I like the fiancée idea," he purred in her ear making her shiver and feel wonderfully warm at the same time. Why did he have to clean up so well? He smelled gorgeous.

"Boyfriend and girlfriend, that's it!" she protested. "We don't have rings and you haven't asked my father yet, so he would be scowling at you all Thanksgiving! We want to stay under the radar!"

Jareth gave a dramatic sigh, and shifted her off his lap when Marcus started the car. Sarah shoved Toby into his corner, he was still laughing at her.

"Shut up, Toby. I know you're as heartily sick of Karen's 'Sarah why don't you settle down with the nice boy down the street' talks she gives every year."

Toby nodded grudgingly then grinned broadly.

"This is going to be the best Thanksgiving ever."

Sarah slouched against Jareth and groaned.

.

They arrived at the William's Victorian house and Marcus opened the door for them. Jareth slipped out then handed Sarah out while Marcus brought Toby's bag to him.

"I will await your call, sir," Marcus said to Jareth as he closed the door after Toby.

Jareth merely gave him a nod and he climbed back into the car and drove off.

Toby hiked his bag onto his shoulder.

"Sarah, you look like you have stage fright. Mom's never going to believe it if you look so pale."

"I don't know if I can do this," Sarah held up her shaking hands and groaned into Jareth's chest as he drew her into a hug.

"Oh yes you can, and we're going to have fun. Toby, you'll not betray us, or there could be a decidedly unpleasantly scented future ahead of you."

"Wow, you just threatened me with the Bog," Toby said as if this were some kind of badge of honour. "Okay, okay, I'll take this seriously. Really!" He sauntered up to the house. "And just kiss already, the sexual tension is getting to me!"

Sarah squeaked and wriggled out of Jareth's hug, then grabbed Jareth's arm as he conjured a crystal. Toby ran for the door laughing.

"Mom, Dad!" he yelled as he pushed it open. "We're here and you'll never guess Sarah's surprise!"

Sarah released her grip on Jareth's arm.

"On second thoughts, hit him with it."

Jareth flung the crystal and it smacked Toby right in the back, dissolving over him like a wave of shimmering light.

"Woah. Not cool! What the hell was that?" Toby asked as he spun around in the door.

"A pre-emptive scent as it were," Jareth smirked with a warning in his stare, "every time you get too close to revealing us, you'll have a private reminder."

"You're not allowed to do magi- oh, hi Mom!"

They had reached the veranda steps by the time Karen appeared at the door. She had a neat skirt and blouse on and her hair and makeup done to perfection as always. She smiled at Toby and then caught sight of Jareth and his proximity to Sarah.

"Oh? Oh!" the smile broke over her face like a sunrise. "Sarah, when you said you were driving in with a friend, you never did say he was a young man."

Sarah hauled up all the acting experience she ever had and smiled shyly.

"Karen, this is Jareth, Jareth, my stepmother Karen."

"Simply charmed," Karen smiled at him as he took her hand and kissed the air over it. "Do come in out of the cold!"

Toby showed Jareth over to the coat closet and Sarah found herself dragged unceremoniously to the kitchen.

"Sarah!" Karen gushed, "why did you not say you were seeing someone!"

Sarah shrugged, and tried to keep an eye on Jareth and Toby, she didn't trust those two out of her sight for a second.

"You nagged," she said then slapped a hand over her mouth, "I mean, er…"

Karen gave a soft sigh.

"Sarah, that is only because we were looking out for you. You were always so headstrong, and you needed guidance and wouldn't listen to any subtle hints I made. Now, see how wonderful it is to have a man in your life?"

Sarah wondered how in the world she thought this would be better than just ignoring the nagging. She now had to compliment Jareth. She nodded dumbly.

"Oh this is wonderful my dear, you have to tell me everything! How did you two meet?"

"Er, well, I've known him since high school," Sarah said as Toby entered the kitchen and headed directly for the pumpkin pie slices sitting on the table for pre dinner snacks. Toby could demolish two pies and then still have space for Thanksgiving dinner afterwards; she did not know where he put it all.

"They met because of me," Toby declared and then flinched as Jareth flicked his ear as he passed.

"Really?" Karen gasped. "But Sarah, you can't have, you rarely dated!"

"We met then," Sarah ground out and shot Toby's smirk a furious glare when Karen turned to inspect Jareth. Toby then went almost cross-eyed and put his hand over his nose. Sarah thought he deserved every bit of the foul stench Jareth's spell had delivered. He set aside his pie and went to crack open a window and Jareth murmured something in his ear and he took a deep breath and waved at the air before his nose in relief and looked rather remorseful.

"Only we had several strong differences in opinion and were not in any way friends at the time."

"She ignored every one of my hopeful advances," Jareth said a tad mournfully.

Sarah's expression froze, the utter traitor. The underhanded, unreliable rat! Hoggle was absolutely right!

"Oh Sarah," Karen turned to her. "Were you horribly stubborn with him also?"

"Oh believe me," she shot Jareth a withering glower, "I had every reason to be."

"Honestly, Sarah," Karen scolded, "why do you insist on your way when in the long run it only leads you into trouble and heartache?"

Sarah blinked, abruptly trying not to cry. She knew she was stubborn and she knew she had made mistakes, but she couldn't just go with what other people said. It would destroy her. She also refused to fight with Karen; she had sworn to herself on leaving the house that for Toby's sake she would keep things civil with the woman. It had worked the most part, but right now she felt like throwing a tantrum and storming out.

She did not expect Jareth to slip his arm around her shoulders. He gave her a light squeeze.

"If she wasn't so stubborn, we would never have met again," he smiled down at her. "Or be here, for that matter," he shot Karen a cheerful smile, yet somehow with a warning to back off.

Sarah leaned into him feeling ragged, and they had not yet been in the house for ten minutes.

"Try some pie, Sarah," Toby interjected. "Is there anything I can carry through, Mom?"

.

When Toby and Karen stepped out of the room, Sarah slipped her arm around Jareth and hugged him in return.

"Sorry. I didn't realise how difficult this would be. I thought it would keep her off my back, but it's worse."

"I'm sorry to say, but I think Yule will be twice as bad," he murmured worriedly.

She laughed softly.

"We're a right sorry pair." She took a deep breath. "Let's go and enjoy ourselves, we might as well make the most of it!"

They both plastered smiles on their faces, caught the other doing the same thing and burst out laughing.

"That's good Thanksgiving spirit!" her father sauntered into the kitchen and drew up short at the sight of Jareth who still had his arm around Sarah's shoulders. "And who do we have here?"

Sarah felt like sinking into the floor. She had thought Toby hard to fool, but she just couldn't do this to her father. Jareth, like the gentleman he was, released her shoulders and stepped over.

"Jareth King, sir, Sarah asked that I accompany her as her boyfriend this evening."

Her father shook his hand with an expression of honest surprise.

"Robert Williams, a real pleasure to meet you, Mr King. Sarah has been very shy in bringing her boyfriend's home to meet us; you must be someone quite special!"

"I like to hope I am," Jareth declared.

That was why she loved her father so dearly. He never questioned any relationship of hers. Feeling vastly relieved, Sarah helped carry dishes through to the table where Karen had set another place beside where Sarah usually sat.

Aunt Gillian was there, Karen's recently divorced younger sister, but none of her family as they were spending time with her ex's family in Florida. Sarah was relieved about that; she would never have withstood the interrogation her two teen cousins would have given her. Granny Williams, her father's mother sat at the foot of the table like an old battleaxe and gave Jareth a sharp stare, then blinked at him. She then fussed herself to her feet and took her walking stick and waited as he set the roast potatoes onto the table.

"You have an air about you," she remarked. "You're of a royal lineage aren't you?"

Jareth gaped at her.

"Er, my mother, um," he shut his mouth and Sarah dumped the gravy and all but ran to his side.

"What's wrong Granny?" she asked, hoping to head off any truly revealing statements.

"I don't often see things dear, but when you were born, I told your mother you'd marry a king. She loved the idea and called you Sarah as a result."

Toby stood directly in Sarah's line of sight and had his face screwed up in incredulous horror. He then turned abruptly away to privately collapse into mirth.

Jareth laughed a bright brittle laugh.

"Isn't that remarkable," he declared smoothly, "my name, you see, is Jareth King. There could be wedding bells in our future, Sarah!"

She surreptitiously elbowed him in the gut as she felt herself blush.

"Wedding bells?"

She felt Jareth wince as Karen exclaimed loudly at the dining room door.

"Oh, I was just greeting this lovely young man of Sarah's," Granny Williams declared. "Says he's a King, and didn't I tell you that our Sarah would marry a King?"

"Yes you did," Karen sounded surprised as she recalled that then smiled very charmingly at Jareth.

"Sorry," he muttered to Sarah as he led her around the table to their places.

"I'm sorry for my family," Sarah cringed in response.

She kicked Toby under the table and he stopped laughing long enough to raise his left hand and tap his ring finger. She kicked him again and he collapsed back into laughter.

.

The usual toasts of thanks were honest, heartfelt and Sarah spent her time cringing. Granny Williams started it off.

"I'm thankful for another year of life and to have finally met this wonderful Mr King Sarah is to marry!"

Toby smirked at her.

"I'm thankful that Laura and I are still going strong, and that I have a great job, and that my sister and Jareth have made this the best Thanksgiving in ages!"

Sarah kicked him again but he dodged this time.

Karen's was ever so predictable.

"I am thankful that all my family could be around me at this time, and yes, you are most welcome into the family, Mr King. Sarah is particularly stubborn, but I am sure you will find things to be thankful for if you work around that."

Toby all but wet himself trying to contain his laughter. Her father and aunt mercifully found personal things to be thankful for and Sarah fidgeted as Jareth raised his glass.

"I am thankful for the honour of your warm welcome and good cheer, also for Sarah for allowing me to meet you all."

She found herself almost giddy with relief. Toby looked horribly disappointed and shot Jareth an exasperated stare. Jareth returned his gaze coolly.

"I'm thankful that my latest book is doing so well. Also that everyone could finally meet Jareth," she managed a bright smile and Toby gestured for her to tone it down a bit. She raised her glass instead.

The toasts, she realised were just the start of it all. All everyone wanted to talk about, bar a brief interlude where they wanted to hear the latest details of the divorce from Aunt Gillian, was about Jareth. He fobbed them off skilfully, turning many a question back on the asker. Though his luck ran out when Aunt Gillan's face cleared as if she'd just had a revelation.

"I knew I had seen you before! At that book signing in New York! You're Frederick Denholm!" Aunt Gillian exclaimed. "I've been a fan of yours for years! Oh, the book club ladies are never going to believe me when I say I've had Thanksgiving dinner with you!"

"I'd appreciate it if our relationship were not made public," Jareth said calmly, "I prefer to remain out of the public eye. You may say we met, but keep the Williams family out of it."

"Oh, is that how you do it," Aunt Gillian tutted, "they say you're a recluse. Of course I'll respect your privacy, if you'd sign my book for me?"

"A contract then," Jareth flashed her a quick deadly smile and Sarah shivered, feeling the magic. Toby twitched and eyed Jareth with warning.

Jareth signed her book for her before he left, deciding not to join them for the customary after dinner walk down to the park. Sarah stood beside him at the car to say her farewells.

"Thanks for doing this," she said with heartfelt honesty.

He reached over and stroked the side of her cheek.

"It was most insightful; I hope the editor likes your next book."

"Oh he will," Sarah declared with no small amount of pride.

"I'll let you know about Yule," he winked at her and slid into the car. She watched him depart and found a storm of butterflies had taken up residence in her stomach. She was relieved she could write to Sidonie; she needed a full run down of court etiquette if she was going to survive. She turned back to the house, she felt better than she had in years. Not having to dodge Karen's nagging and invent excuses lifted a load from her shoulders, for that she would happily face a crowd of fae for Yule.


	8. Chapter 8: celebrate?

**All I ask of you, is that when I cannot, would you . . .**

**Celebrate**

"I can't believe you would do this!" Karen's angry voice crackled over the phone line.

Sarah sat painting her toenails as her stepmother launched into the fifth rant this week. She had thought three weeks warning would be enough for Karen, but unfortunately, it was too much.

"Karen, you've met Jareth, everyone liked him when he came to Thanksgiving—"

"Yes we did!" she sounded half mollified half angry and Sarah continued doggedly.

"—now I'm visiting him for Yule."

"Yule! Who calls it Yule, it's Christmas! Do they have a tree and presents and—"

"Jareth's family is old and traditional," Sarah interrupted, the Christmas over Yule debate had been a three day fiasco that she did not want to revisit. "They call it Yule, it's a huge family celebration and like you met Jareth his mother wants to meet me."

"What of his father?" Karen asked snippily.

"He died," Sarah said coldly, abruptly tired of this. She had learned that from Sidonie's chatter but as Jareth had yet to raise it, it was not a topic up for discussion; a blissful five seconds of silence descended.

"But Christmas is a family time, you can visit your boyfriend's family any other time of the year, you don't have a proper job you can take vacation any time."

Sarah grit her teeth and counted down from ten, then picked the gaudiest blue nail polish and painted stripes over the neon pink already there, if only because Karen would have fits if she saw it.

"I have a proper job," she managed with dignified civility, unaware of how much she mimicked Jareth at his most haughty, "as a successful author I pay my rent, petrol and student loans. I might not be as bound as you are to the seasonal nature of a job, but I take my vacation at the same time everyone else does. I am going to Jareth for Yule."

"I am most disappointed; this is quite your mother coming out in you."

Sarah almost threw the phone across the room. She saw a group of goblins sneak in through the mirror and waved them over then pointed at the door. They knew the drill by now and delightedly all scrambled out of the window, letting the freezing December air in, and took turns ringing the doorbell.

"Sorry Karen, have to get that, a friend's just arrived."

"You have too many friends arriving just as I'm talking to you!"

"Sorry, can't help that I'm popular, bye!"

She dropped the phone on the couch beside her and then went to let the goblins in. They all sat around the table sipping their reward of hot chocolate and nibbling Oreos as they shivered themselves warm. She was never so grateful that Karen had to work most of the day and could only call in the evenings, but it was becoming tedious. She could only ignore calls two days in a row before she harassed Toby to find out where she was; she owed her brother too much to do that to him. She checked her calendar, two weeks to Yule; this was already beyond a trial.

By the time she stepped through into the Labyrinth on the day of the Yule Celebration, she was singing the praises of magic and the way it did not allow any telephones where she could be reached. Her calendar had little X's counting down to 'No More Nag' rather than anticipating Yule.

* * *

Sarah sat bundled up in a quilted cape beside Sidonie as the carriage made its way through the snow covered hill country to Anwath the capital of the Fae Kingdom. It reminded Sarah of the area around Calgary in Canada. Jareth huddled opposite them almost curled up on top of the brazier as he mulishly glowered at a fold of letters he had been working through for most of the drive.

Sidonie had given her the rundown as to what to expect for the three days of the Yule celebrations she would attend. There were twelve days in all, but Jareth couldn't leave his kingdom for that long, so only spent the first three with his family. By the amount of drinking Sidonie mentioned in passing, Sarah figured her liver would thank his royal schedule.

They drove into the city, built of hundreds of wattle and daub buildings with slate roofs and broad highways in a hub fashion rather like Paris. The roads off the highways between the houses were little more than single cart width alleys. People crowded the streets and Sarah stared as she saw every sort of creature imaginable, and then some. Tall willowy wood nymphs with leaves trailing down their hair travelled in groups. They trundled past several wagons packed with merchandise and perched on top of it were dwarves much like Hoggle clad in bright red and gold garments. She saw animal like people of all kinds and thought she spotted a group of terriers just like Sir Didymus, only they rode massive grey wolves.

"Whose invite have you responded to this year?" Sidonie asked as she eyed the file of correspondence he held.

Jareth smiled slowly.

"I've not responded to any, I thought, I would honour my father this year and open the Tower of the Veil Mages."

Sidonie drew an awed gasp.

"And I am to stay with you?"

"Of course," Jareth said, "you are my sister and companion to Sarah, where we go, you go."

"What's special about this tower?" Sarah asked.

Sidonie chewed her lip nervously and eyed Jareth and the Goblin King put away his fold of letters as Sarah felt the excitement morph into solemnity.

"I'm one of the few to gain access," Jareth's gaze drifted out of the window. "My father was the youngest Magician to raise the veil between the worlds of Above and Under; he died the day I was born. He gave me my name, but I never knew him."

"Jareth's special because of that," Sidonie explained, "none of the other Magicians sired children. He inherited a touch of the ancient magic."

"Is that the orbs you conjure?"

"No," Jareth laughed, "that is our mother's magic, a far kinder and whimsical magic. My father's magic is primal and elemental and its main component is the ability to walk between realms at will. I chose the goblins as a people mostly out of necessity, as there were too few realms walkers to corral them when they caused trouble Aboveground."

"The lightning, the fire storm, the summoning of iron armour and visiting Aboveground!" Sarah realised.

"You've mastered iron summoning?" Sidonie whispered in awe.

"Not without difficulty," Jareth grumbled, but puffed up with pride.

"Wow," Sidonie breathed, "I wish I had half of your talents."

"No, the small magics you have keep you safe, or grandfather would have auctioned you off to the highest bidder when you came of age. Those skills are highly sought and deadly in the wrong hands. Do not mention a word of what Sarah has just said to anyone."

"On my honour and name I swear it," Sidonie said instantly.

Sarah bit her lip.

"Am I not supposed to have said that?"

"I never realised how observant you were," Jareth said ruefully. "Yes, I would appreciate remaining somewhat of a mystery to the court here. It allows me my freedom, which is important, as the Goblin Kingdom cannot be assimilated into the Fae Kingdom. The Emperor understands my position but my grandfather would seek to use me and my people in war if he begins to understand what we are capable of. I would rather avoid that."

Sarah nodded, and they fell into discussion about what things should not be mentioned and what could be discussed.

Sidonie excitedly pointed out landmarks to Sarah as they came up to a snowy park at the turn of the broad street where people played in the snow. An avenue ran off the road and through the park, to halt before a circular tower, some five stories tall, with an onion-domed roof like the Goblin Castle turrets, though these were the dull green of oxidised copper. The central tower had three lesser towers situated around it, which were only three stories high, but their roofs were bright copper and the walls were whitewashed and painted in geometric patterns of ochre and black.

"Jareth hasn't opened it in the past five hundred years. You need elemental magic to do so, and as only Elder's Thesan and Lar have it, but they live out in the desert and on the coast so they are not often at the tower. I've never seen inside it."

"It's a dump," Jareth warned, "don't be too excited."

"It's our private dump with no whispering courtiers reporting our every word to mother," Sidonie declared with bright eyes, "I love it already."

Despite the fact that Jareth had to toss a crystal down every passage they walked, and the fourth floor rooms they were now in, to clear the thick coating of dust, the place was solidly built. The apartments were off a central common room with a large fireplace which Jareth had lit after flinging a crystal up the chimney. They took the rooms which had a view of the castle in the centre of the city. The rooms were more studies than bedrooms, with desks and shelves taking up most of the space and the bed tucked into a wooden cupboard of sorts. Jareth refreshed each one of them and Sarah blushed when her blankets from her bed back home appeared, including the plush owl she had found on a Black Friday sale. He raised an eyebrow at that and Sarah pretended she didn't know what he was asking about.

"Sarah, Sidonie will help you with your wardrobe for the visit to the palace this afternoon, I'm summoning the goblins."

"Oh, is that done?" Sarah was quite sure the goblins had no invitation to the Yule celebrations.

"I'm not sleeping in this tower without them. They would be most disappointed, not to be able to guard me."

Sarah noticed his sly look.

"Let me guess, you want to remind your neighbours that you're not only a magician who can open this tower but the Goblin King."

"Naturally," he preened.

"And they are likely to party up a louder storm than half the city put together."

"Why Sarah, are you accusing me of troublemaking?"

"I know the goblins," she declared, "so yes."

His spun on his toe and waltzed off humming happily.

"This bed had better be sound proof," she muttered to herself.

.

Sarah had just finished helping Sidonie pin her hair when a cough made her turn. Her face broke into a broad grin as at her door stood not only a crowd of Goblins, but Hoggle.

"You came!" Sarah declared in delight.

"Couldn't leave you in the hands of the rat now could we?"

"My brother is not a rat," Sidonie said sternly.

"What's it with females and blind devotion to His Majesty?" Hoggle grumbled. "His actions show him to be a rat, and I ain't calling it anything other than what it is. Sarah, do you know what kind of place this is?"

"A very secure tower?"

"I told Sir Didymus you didn't understand," Hoggle complained. "This deep Underground, Sarah, there's no coming back from it. And she knows it, for all she acts a mouse she'll grow to be a rat."

"At least mice are pretty," Sidonie said imperiously, "I'm going to tell Jareth more than his goblins came through," she strode off in a regal huff.

Sarah sank to the floor as Hoggle and the goblins behind him entered, the goblins scattered about to explore the room as Hoggle joined her.

"Hoggle, you do understand, don't you?" She said so softly he had to lean close to hear. "It's a trade Jareth and I made, he keeps Karen off my back and I help him with his family."

"You don't make trades with the likes of them, Sarah," Hoggle waggled his finger at her, "they'll twist the bargain to their liking, and that's rarely in any mortal's favour. You read us stories, Sarah! Remember what the rat himself told you when you wanted to store furniture at the Labyrinth. And you will be here three days!"

The excitement in her stomach abruptly became cold dread, but the sounds of footfalls up the stairs followed by Sir Didymus' voice filtered up to them, and he was lecturing someone.

"...and thus it falls to us to dutifully serve as her pages during these festivities."

"I am her companion!" Sidonie protested somewhat petulantly.

When Jareth stepped into the common room, followed by Sir Didymus and Sidonie, it was all Sarah could do not to laugh at Jareth's flat, almost henpecked expression.

"You are both diligent," Jareth granted grudgingly and even Hoggle perked up at that, "you will ride as footmen on my carriage, but will not enter the palace, you have not been invited."

The mulish stares both her friends shot the Goblin King was enough for Sarah to realise they would get in regardless of orders.

.

Ensconced in the carriage as they drove out to the palace, Sarah could see goblins all over the snowy park around the tower. They were in full holiday spirit pelting those who ventured into the park with snowballs. From the looks of things the goblins were winning. They had built two forts near the entrance and Jareth leaned out the window and tossed a crystal ahead of the carriage. The goblins tried pelting the carriage but the balls all looped up in the air and landed splat directly on the thrower's heads. Jareth sat back smugly watching his handiwork.

"You will never grow up," Sidonie said in a very formal voice.

"Do not use Mother's words on me," Jareth shuddered and Sidonie laughed.

The palace was a place of exceptional beauty. They rode through snow-covered gardens, amidst which stood brightly lit glass greenhouses containing many bright flowering plants. The riot of colour stood out brilliantly against the white snow. They reached the turning circle before the palace gates and Jareth handed them both down.

As Sidonie had instructed, she joined the girl to walk just behind Jareth as they wove through the passages and halls of the palace. There were braziers lit along all the main passages, yet the cold air still seemed to drift in. Sarah could feel the tingle of magic, and how it grew more comfortable and warmer the further into the palace they went, as if the magic itself were trapping the heat.

They came to a junction, and instead of liveried palace servants, ahead of them she saw a crowd of men and women dressed as elaborately as they were. The bright green and blue silks of her dress and shawl no longer felt garish, by the looks of things Sidonie had chosen something very tasteful for their gowns.

"Sarah," Jareth murmured under his breath, "don't go with anyone save Sidoine, you don't know much of the protocol and etiquette."

"I know," she reassured him, they had discussed this. He slipped his arm around her and drew her close.

"Remember you are invited as my beloved, and thus hold a status of that higher than a courtesan, yet lower than a betrothed. They will flatter you dreadfully to get to me. Your presence will deter most women, and as you met and dealt with Ceceille I have no doubt that you will be able to keep the rest of the wolves at bay."

He released her and Sidonie drew her back to walk behind Jareth again, just as they reached the crowd of people.

Sarah smiled as she glided through the crowd, Jareth's presence creating an instant parting among them, and whispers and murmurs followed in their wake. She heard them whispering Jareth and Sidonie's name and then asking about her. It was also just then that she saw a goblin; he thoughtfully tied two ladies dress ribbons together, then slipped away to other mischief. It took all she could not to dissolve in laughter. Jareth was not above petty mischief.

They arrived outside the doors of the hall the crowd was waiting before and Jareth slipped through the doors with a toss of his crystal, and Sidonie looped her arm in hers and pulled her through the misty portal and they emerged in a finely appointed room. The floors were covered in thick silk carpets depicting dew covered grass, and the curtains hung at the windows looked like mist veils and full trees with spring green leaves grew in ornate tubs along the walls of the room, dropping tiny golden flowers onto the floor and furniture. It felt like an outdoor bower amid the woods and the warmth and freshness of the air fooled her senses almost completely. Sarah was glad Sidonie was at her side as she pulled her out of the awe that had caused her to still.

Within the room stood or sat a crowd of very mixed people, though Sarah could see immediately that all the females were related to Jareth. They all had pale hair and certain facial features in common.

"Jareth," a very beautiful woman who seemed to be in her thirties stood from where she had been lounging on cushions on the floor, a gold circlet around head marked her as royalty, "you have come, we have missed your presence."

He strode over and drew her into a passionate embrace, kissing her forehead and then stepping back as if to inspect her.

"You look well mother," he said politely.

"And you look scruffy," she plucked at his wild hair with an expression so like Karen's that Sarah almost giggled.

"Part of the charm of the Goblin King, I'm afraid," he lithely stepped out of her grasp ever so slightly sneering at the displeasure on her face at the mention of the goblins. He drew his sister forward and Sarah almost stumbled when the girl dragged her along.

"My Sidonie," the woman whispered, her voice going like that of one cooing over a tiny puppy, to which Sidonie simply dipped a slight curtsey, "and a mortal guest, Jareth, we have heard whispers, but who is she?"

Sarah fought not to stiffen as the woman all but prowled around her like a panther, twitching at her hair, and tilting her chin to look her in the eyes. She reminded Sarah all too much of the predatory fae in the peach dream.

"This is my beloved Sarah, of the Aboveground realm of America."

At that a whisper rippled through the room.

"Sarah, this is my mother, Princess Julianna."

Sarah gave her well practiced curtsey and was relieved at the smile she received in return.

"I never thought I would see the day, son, a woman who would garner such regard from you," his mother purred. "So when is your wedding day set?"

Sarah had to look down to hide her laugh at the stunned expression of dismay that Jareth rapidly smoothed off his face.

"Your Highness," Sarah murmured, "it is yet early days for us and among my people the courting takes some time."

"Is that so, but you are mortal, there is not much time given to you, how long will this be?" Princess Julianna reached out and smoothed her hair about her face as if she were a particularly precious child. "I do so look forward to grandchildren; I hear mortals are most bountiful with offspring."

Sarah felt her cheeks blush and didn't dare glance at Jareth to get her out of this, he would be smirking up a storm if she knew him. The princess was hardly one to talk with six children of her own, Sarah suddenly panicked, how many did she expect her to have?

It was only when Jareth skilfully lifted his mother's hand from her face and stepped before her that Sarah remembered it was an act. She shivered slightly as she realised there had been magic at work.

"Mother, as this is part of the courtship discussions, and has its place, we have yet to discuss such things, it is poor taste to ask at such an early stage. I must go to greet my sisters—"

"Jareth, you are hasty this day. I would speak with you in private," his mother interrupted with a pleasant smile, yet the way she narrowed her focus to only her son, Sarah almost physically felt the dismissal.

Sidonie grabbed her arm tightly and drew her off to meet the others in the room. Still a little bewildered at the gentle snub, Sarah took a moment to gain her bearings. Yet she saw their heading, she cheered up, as she was especially curious about the man Sidonie approached. Before him sat a woman who looked in her mid twenties, all beautifully painted red lips and summer green and gold dusting her face and eyelids. She wore a circlet of wrought silver leaves, and he wore a silver torc about his neck, but it was the three foot antlers that grew from his scull that impressed her.

"This is my eldest sister Jehanne and her husband Prince Cathal," she squinted up at her brother in law, "you do know you have mistletoe caught in your antlers?"

The man's rather prim expression melted into a smirk of Jareth like proportions.

Jehanne let out a huff and stuck her nose in the air very much like her brother did when irked.

"He's been using it as an excuse to garner kisses from every maiden!"

Prince Cathal gestured from behind Jehanne, and mouthed the words 'she takes the most advantage, there have only been seven maidens!' He immediately pretended serene primness when his wife snapped about to glance up at him.

Sarah was glad when Sidone dragged her away as she was fighting a smile as much as the girl was smothering giggles. She dragged them over to another blond woman seated beside stern man with beautiful dark eyes, and short white hair that looked as soft as a kittens to the touch.

"This is my third eldest sister Etiennette and her husband Prince Peri," she said.

"My dear," Etiennette said in a musical voice, "do introduce this mortal who has managed to shift Jareth's frivolous nature."

"She is Sarah," she announced proudly.

"America is an interesting country, full of adventurous ideals," Prince Peri spoke up then, his accent sounded Scandinavian she thought.

"It is," Sarah agreed, but as she was about to ask a question Sidonie reached out and waved a finger at the both of them. "She's not here for you to test your mortal knowledge on, she's here to celebrate. Come on Sarah, we must greet the charming couple before we can come back here and play your game of twenty questions!"

Prince Peri perked up at that idea and his hopeful smile followed them as Sidonie dragged her over to the last pair.

"This is my second eldest sister Isabeau," she said as she came to a halt before a standing pair, they were both taller than Sidonie or Sarah and were some of the most beautiful people Sarah had ever seen. Isabeau smiled with a slight shift to her lips and her whole form radiated grace. The man beside her, however, was devastating in his handsomeness. He did not wait for an introduction, but stepped forward and grasped Sarah's hand and lightly kissed the air above it.

"King Wren of the Elves, Lady Sarah," he purred and Sarah felt her mind shut down in utter bliss. She jerked into wakefulness when Sidonie tugged her back with a soft hiss of displeasure.

"Her name is Sarah," Sidonie scolded, "and I'm her companion. Don't tease Jareth, Wren, or he'll set the goblins among your corn fields again."

"But she is enchanting," he protested with a soft hurt expression, "there is a natural power about her that sings to any man, it is no wonder he calls you beloved Sarah, you would tempt many."

Sarah shivered as she felt Jareth materialise directly behind her and take the hand that Wren had held to grasp against her chest.

"King Wren, how was the olive harvest this year?" he purred.

"You know very well that it was half spoiled by unseasonable winds," he said stiffly.

"Such a shame," Jareth purred and Sarah found herself tucked behind him and Sidonie dragged her back to Prince Peri and Etiennette once more. Sarah joined them on a nearby scattering of cushions and they ended up discussing the books that had been released that Christmas, and which they were looking forward to reading. They shifted from person to person, but every time she came within five feet of King Wren, Jareth left his own conversations and hovered.

Sarah was only too relieved that after two hours the doors were opened and the room seemed to expand to hold the people waiting in the halls. Sir Didymus and Hoggle were among them, as were several goblins, all of them up to mischief. Sir Didymus picked his targets well, and cornered the likes of King Wren with several long minutes of discussions about his kingdom that the Elven king could not ignore. Hoggle was the worst, and to Sarah the most amusing as he found the least important people who hovered at the edges of the conversations, and enthusiastically chatted them up. Once his target was caught, he dragged them across to Jareth with a grand introduction, then hurried off to leave Jareth to scramble to pick up the abruptly ended conversation and to excuse his last. This meant that Sidonie and Jareth circulated more swiftly than others did, which saw that Sarah wasn't the main topic of conversation barring a remark about her mortality, or that Jareth had chosen a beloved.

.

They returned to the tower over lunch. As Sidonie left the room to go and play in the snow with the goblins, Sarah sidled over to Jareth who stood at the window to watch the mayhem below.

"Sorry I could not distract your family as we had hoped," she felt bad about how it seemed her presence had allowed his family to make assumptions about them.

Jareth's eyes crinkled as he chuckled.

"You did wonderfully. You're the distraction! Don't you see? I'd have been harangued about the Goblin Kingdom the entire time, had you not been there."

"That's the problem?" Sarah said in surprise, she had thought his problem similar to hers.

Jareth did not reply, but a wistful expression came to his eyes as he watched the goblins in the snowy gardens about the tower.

When Jareth seemed not to want to discuss it, Sarah took an afternoon nap amid a heap of goblins and Sir Didymus who had decided her bed was definitely soft enough to share. That evening they attended a far more elegant ball, though Jareth firmly warned Hoggle and Sir Didymus to wait with the carriage, but they had a contingency plan, which she only discovered when she saw Sidonie's partner.

.

Jareth himself escorted her this time, and Sidonie cheekily brought Snigget, one of the hairier goblins, and one Sarah had frequently seen about her home.

"He'll look after you," Hoggle assured her and shot Jareth a most mistrustful stare, but not where the king could see him. "The mouse isn't so bad, she worries about you too."

The goblin wore a new black and silver tunic and waved at everyone to whom Sidonie introduced him. By the whispers this was really not done, but by the uncomfortable looks they flicked at Jareth, no one was going to voice the fact.

They danced two lively reels, then Jareth led them back to the refreshments, to mingle and gossip. Sarah got the impression that while he did not enjoy such large gatherings, he loved to tweak peoples noses.

"Jareth, do you think we can dance—" Sarah began, then fell silent as the couple Sidonie had pointed out as her grandparents were suddenly in their path. For fae to have grey hair, they must be ancient, though their faces were smooth and their eyes clear. Sarah dipped a deep curtsy as Jareth gave his bow and kept her eyes on the ground. She didn't trust the King at all, he looked as Elvish as Wren and there was something about Elvish magic that made her take leave of her senses. After a brief enquiry as to their health, the Queen examined Jareth much the same as her daughter had done, twitching at his hair as if she wished it were in the sleek style her husband wore.

"So Jareth," she purred, "I hear you're staying in the Tower of the Veil Mages, why haven't you taken the mantel of the Forest Magician yet? You now have a wife, your children must be taught the duties," she said sternly.

She felt Jareth stiffen below her light hand on his arm.

"You are mistaken my Queen," he said with exquisite politeness, "she is as yet my beloved; such things cannot yet be discussed."

Sarah felt Sidonie tug at her arm just as Jareth carefully slipped his out from under hers. Sarah let the girl drag her away.

"You're cheeky sometimes," Sidonie whispered, "and my grandfather is stern, best not to tempt fate."

Sarah chuckled wryly knowing her luck. They fetched snacks and followed Sidonie and Snigget into the courtyard where several fae were ice skating on the open rink. They stood to watch, but their moment of peace was interrupted by a gasp and a shrill "you!"

Sarah turned to find Ceceille hanging on the arm of a rather vapid looking young man, pointing at her and gawking.

"What are you doing here, strumpet?"

"I could ask the same as you," Snigget the goblin piped up from beside Sidonie, taking his role of defender seriously, "we have our invitations, did you have to buy yours?"

"What's a goblin doing here?" Ceceille demanded, scandalised.

"Dancing, eating, having fun, all it looks like you're doing is being cross. Go dance, then you'll have a reason to look so red in the face."

Sarah had to hold her breath and beside her Sidonie shook with laughter. She crouched down and kissed the goblin on the head, which was the last straw for Ceceille.

"You, you…" she turned abruptly and dragged her young man off into the main ballroom.

"You're amazing, Snigget!"

"She's horrid to Kingy," Snigget said stoutly and folded his arms to glare after her. "Oh look, she took the bait I'll have this next dance, Sidonie?"

"Sarah can you wait along the wall for us to return?" Sidonie asked, gleefully eyeing an opportunity to annoy Ceceille.

"By all means, go!" Sarah laughed.

She leaned against the wall and was smiling at the sour expression on Ceceille's face when she realised she would have to dance with a goblin when a young man settled against the wall beside her. He was slightly taller than Jareth, had bright violet eyes and hair as black as night that he wore in an elaborate braid down his back, his clothes were of the finest silks and she was sure he was one of the many royalty here tonight.

"Miss Sarah, the escort of our enigmatic Goblin King," he smiled at her, "I am Shu, how are you finding the festivities?"

"Wonderful so far, the politics are bewildering, but that is true to any outsider."

"And you are more an outsider than most here, we do not often have mortals at our gatherings, and Jareth is more than showing his mischief in bringing you here, unattached as you both are."

Sarah blinked and gaped at him, and realised she had completely given the game away. He only smiled disarmingly, with a low gleeful chuckle.

"I know Jareth of old," Shu smirked, "he's tried this sort of thing over the years when life is particularly fraught amongst his family. Yet, you're the only one he has introduced as his beloved, which for him is telling in its desperation."

"More like mutual protection," Sarah defended him, not liking how Shu made it sound, "he strategically saved me from my stepmothers haranguing at the Aboveground holiday of Thanksgiving this year."

Shu laughed out loud at that, he had more pronounced canines than Jareth did, and the same disarming comfort about him. She had never met any of Jareth's friends, and she decided that she quite liked Shu.

"So," Sarah said, eyeing Jareth and his grandparents who were on the far side of the hall with their backs to them, "what can you tell me about him if you know him that well? You have to have one embarrassing childhood story for me."

"Oh, do I have stories," Shu grinned with knowing mischief in his violet eyes, "the best one, is when Jareth was particularly drunk and asked a stone troll to dance through the May fires with him. Do you know the custom?"

Sarah laughed, depending on the region; such a thing could be a simple blessing or tantamount to marriage.

"What happened?" she asked eagerly.

"She, being considerably larger and drunker than he, just swayed where she stood and he swung like a loose line as she flung her arm around. Yet that did not deter him! He even tried kissing her! Her father was furious!"

Sarah laughed beside him as he told a few others, then raised his glass to her as Jareth looked around the room and his eyes settled on them and his eyes widened almost comically in shock.

"Here he comes, I had best make myself scarce, tell him I quite heartily approve of you."

"Do come visit us at the Goblin City," Sarah said as he stepped away.

"I will," Shu smiled then slipped between the people even swifter than Jareth's rapid approach and suddenly he was gone.

"Sarah!" Jareth took her hand and peered at her, then seemed to relax when he saw nothing was wrong, and peered out at the crowd again with a frown.

She smiled at him.

"I like your friend Shu, he saw right through our act, but says to tell you 'he quite heartily approves of me.'"

"Shu?" Jareth croaked, "he told you to call him Shu?"

"Why? What's wrong, Jareth?" Sarah asked, alarmed "he knew some funny stories, isn't he your friend? I invited him to visit us at the Goblin City, was that wrong?"

"You did what?" Jareth choked and coughed, then grabbed a glass of wine from a waiter and downed it in three elegant slips.

"I'm officially worried now," Sarah said in a low voice, "who was he?"

"The Emperor," Jareth breathed, "and he's never at these sort of celebrations, he must have come especially to see you."

"Oh," Sarah said and then caught sight of the smirking young man who raised his glass to her on the far side of the room before stepping out of the ballroom. "Well then, we might have to actually sweep the throne room before he visits, and maybe mop the grog spills."

Jareth began to laugh weakly.

"Only you, Sarah," he said with a shake of his head, then a keen smirk came over his face, "and everyone saw him toast you just now, so let's go and mingle and be horribly enigmatic as to how a mortal knows the Emperor personally."

"I don't know him!"

"Ah, but they think you do, and think of all the fun we'll have with that."

* * *

The frantic beat of drums made Sarah's blood dance in its rhythm and her body swayed to the same. It was only the second day and she was lost, tired and desperately fought her way through the swaying mass of bodies to the side of the road. She tucked her slippers into her gown belt, hiked up her skirts and tied them into her belt as well, then climbed the stone wall of the house. There was one alarming moment where she almost fell, but she pulled herself over the edge of the balcony and flopped onto the floor. Now above the revellers she could see everyone. Hoggle, Sir Didymus and the goblins were somewhere in the crowd causing minor havoc, she had last seen Hoggle an hour ago with a tankard in each hand, serenading three appreciative older dwarf ladies. Ah, there he was, the oblivious idiot. Jareth was dancing amid sylphs dressed in fluffy plumes and nothing else. Sidonie was over by the fountain, trying to climb the haughty Queen at its centre to peer over the crowd as she was doing. Sarah waved when Sidonie looked up and the fae girl saw her and almost slumped with relief. By her signs she wanted Sarah to stay where she was. Sarah had no yen to move. Yule, she had thought, would be for family. And it was, but after the formal soiree and ball all Jareth's family seemed to do was party for as long as they could stand upright, then sleep where they fell, only to wake and dance where they stood on the morrow.

Sarah leaned against the stone railing. She had never really thought about the idea of fairyland, for all she knew Jareth existed. Jareth, with his British accent and his near human mannerisms was a comforting act, she knew now. The real Underground, the one she hadn't glimpsed in her visits to the Labyrinth, was simply alien. Oh, it was unnervingly enough like the human world that she could almost understand it, but so close as to be elusive. The uncanny scraped her mind raw and her ignorance of the customs that made her an outsider just made her feel lost in her own empty bubble of space while everyone flowed passed her in community.

Sidonie dropped onto the balcony beside her and Sarah tried to ignore the way she licked at the blood on her scraped palms like a wounded cat.

"Where's my brother?" she asked.

Sarah pointed at the sylphs and Sidonie sniggered and produced a crystal. It was a misty half formed one and by the amount of concentration quite difficult to hold in that state. The girl stood on the balcony and with unerring accuracy threw it. It splashed all over Jareth. Sarah could feel the brush of cold magic from where she sat and the ice frosted in Jareth's hair. He yowled like a drenched cat and spun about in fury. They both fell about laughing. The next moment he was crouched behind them. He grabbed them into his now wet and cold embrace.

"Yow, that's freezing!" Sarah shuddered as Sidonie squeaked, elbowed him and wriggled out of his grasp.

"That'll teach you!" he said haughtily.

Sidonie stood upright and shoved him with her dainty slipper.

"We lost Sarah, Jareth! What if they found her alone?"

Jareth sobered up instantly and the ice vanished. Sarah found herself in Jareth's far too possessive hug.

"They would not dare," he breathed and cast a malevolent stare out at the crowds.

"Oh look, isn't that Marguerite and Faurel" Sidonie pointed at decorated horse scull on a pole that was making its way through the revellers, "let's go and sing, Jareth, please? Marguerite's wanted to meet Sarah since I told her I'd met her."

Jareth looked on the point of refusing when a graceful blond woman, who followed the horse scull procession, turned to them and pointed up at them. At her side an ugly almost dwarf like man grinned a mouth full of sharp teeth.

"Too late, she's seen us!" Sidonie declared happily. "Do take us down, Jareth. I am sure Sarah could do with a meal again. Mortals like to eat more frequently than we do." She leaned around her brother and smiled winningly at Sarah. "Marguerite is our mother's fifth child, about five hundred years older than me. Her husband is a Spriggan, a general in King Wren's armies. Be careful of him he can scare even Jareth."

"He does not scare me," Jareth said haughtily.

"I've got a crystal that says otherwise back at the tower," Sidonie danced away as Jareth physically tried to silence her.

Sarah laughed at their sibling antics, oddly that brought a semblance of calm to her. As strange and overwhelming as everything was they were people to whom she could relate despite their strangeness. She slipped her shoes back on and stood.

"She wasn't at the soiree," Sarah reflected.

"No," Jareth looked serious, "she is not on speaking terms with our grandmother, so avoids the palace."

"Grandmother tried to arrange her marriage," Sidonie's eyes were wide with mischief. "The moment she heard she ran away, and eloped with Faurel. Jareth says it was the scandal of the century. I'm glad you're here, you've distracted mother and grandmother from gossiping about Marguerite."

Jareth eyed the procession and his sister with an odd tension about his shoulders. Sarah then remembered she had to remain in character for the act. She slipped her arm around his waist and he relaxed ever so slightly.

"I'm strong enough to handle the gossip, and bonus, I don't even live here."

Jareth laughed silently at her last comment.

"Let us join them!" he declared, as his energy for the party returned. "Just put whatever words you like to the tune, we're going to sing for supper!" He grasped the two of them and they were gone from the balcony and back in the thick of the street party.

* * *

It was the third and final day and Sarah's feet ached from having traipsed the markets all morning. Sidonie had acquired a seemingly bottomless bag, and bought anything that Sarah looked twice at. The girl was having such fun that Sarah didn't have the heart to tell her she couldn't take things like continuously opening and closing flowers that floated back to Aboveground with her. Sir Didymus had followed them on Ambrosius with a damp towel across his forehead, and they had left Hoggle to snore up a storm with the majority of the goblins back at the tower. The sun neared the horizon as they finally reached the upper balcony of the palace where Marguerite, Etiennette and Jehanne stood with their baskets already hung from the railing. Sarah helped Sidonie to hang theirs and then they searched the courtyard below where Jareth was seated on a black charger in his armour, and several goblins on the scariest hounds Sarah had ever seen paced around him. Sir Didymus and Hoggle had joined him, Hoggle on a huge wolfhound, and for a moment Sarah could see him as the soldier he claimed he had been in his youth.

Sidonie waved her handkerchief and Sarah, who had chosen the gaudiest one she could find, waved hers, it glittered with the amount of silver sewn into it.

The courtyard was filled with other riders in their gear, and more hounds of various shape and size, and Sidonie tired to guess their identity by the understated crests and followers they had gathered. She easily picked out all her brother's in law, as well as her ever so graceful sister Isabeau who rode alongside King Wren.

"She's a better rider than he; only don't let him know I said that."

As the sunset a horn blast sounded and Sidonie lifted open the flap of the basket, as did others and out streamed a flock of silvery birds the size of finches. They flocked around the courtyard as the horns sounded a formal tune of readiness, and then they were off into the skies glittering like their namesake. The horses galloped along the streets and the moment they came to the parade grounds they too took to the skies. Some circled back, the men caught favours from the ladies, some tugged them into the saddles with them. Sarah tossed her handkerchief to Jareth as he passed, and he made quite a show of tucking it into his breastplate.

"Get on with you, they'll leave you behind!" Etienette cried, laughing at him. He rose up in his stirrups and shot off through the skies at a gallop.

Sarah leaned over the end of the balcony to wave; it was heady with the trumpets sounding their music below and the cries and hollers of the hounds and men. The next thing she knew someone snatched her up by the back of her dress and she was tugged into place in front of an armoured man and dragged into the night.

"Hey! What the hell do you think you're doing!" She yelped as Sidonie screamed her name. She struggled around to give the fae a resounding slap when she found herself looking into a pair of very familiar violet eyes.

"Your Imperial Majesty," she squeaked and meekly stopped struggling.

He laughed.

"So he told you, did he? Let's join his hunt, he'll never let you ride it if he knew you were here. Take my cloak; it will spare you the worst of the cold."

"Um, Emperor Shu, why are you doing this?" Sarah asked as he bundled her in his cloak and then settled his arms to take the reins more comfortably.

"Because it amuses me to tease Jareth, he's wonderfully prickly and leaves very few opportunities for me to do so."

"We're not that way, you know," she said, now that she was warmer, the ride was rather thrilling.

"Oh, I know, but I do need an excuse to join his hunt rather than taking the lead were my identity to be discovered."

"So that's it," Sarah said understanding, "Jareth had the most gleeful smirk hidden behind a polite façade that entire evening after you left with how he hinted at nothing and everyone fell for it. You're the same, hinting at nothing and frustrating the gossip mongers."

"It keeps us amused," he declared and guided his horse between others, until he rode directly behind Jareth. The Goblin King still stood in his stirrups and crouched over his horse, leaving a spectacular view of his shapely backside. She made a private note to send Emperor Shu a very nice bottle of wine for this favour; she would remember it all her days.

"Ah, Emperor Shu," Sarah said, with a sudden apprehension, "this hunt, it's not the Wild Hunt, is it?"

He laughed a deep chortle at that.

"No, nothing so spectacular, we seldom venture into mortal lands." He sounded almost regretful and she wondered how old he was. "This riding is to deliver the Fae King's bounty to the three vassal cities on the coast, the desert and the forest. Should we discover any good bounty on our way there, we will capture it and deliver it to the nearest city."

"What counts as bounty?"

"Mortal females," he declared with aplomb, and Sarah elbowed him then winced as she hit his breastplate, making him laugh again.

"Herds are set aside and we drive them through the skies, it's why the Kings, princes and greater magician's do it, flights like these are not easy to conjure, but there are enough so skilled gathered at such an event to manage it. What do you think of joining those who catch the cattle that stray?"

"Like a cowboy?"

"Like a cowboy!" Emperor Shu affected too good an American accent not to have watched movies.

"Why not?" Sarah marvelled, she rode a horse through the skies with the Emperor of all faerie and he wanted to play at being an American cowboy, who was she to stop him?

She spent the next few hours laughing at his attempts at American cowboy slang, and he had most of it right. When she asked for the fae equivalent, he gave her similar commands in various languages, some of which made her head float with glorious images of herding mist deer and flittering starlight mares.

It was as they turned for home that Emperor Shu rode up beside Jareth and slapped his arm for his attention.

"This is yours," he yelled over the wind.

Jareth did a shocked double take at both the Emperor and Sarah.

"I'll be sure to collect my cloak when I visit," he told Jareth as he handed Sarah over, then he let his horse fall back into the hunt and vanished into the hazy twilight.

"You, he, you," Jareth managed then hugged her tight. "Why is he so interested in you?" he whispered in her ear.

"I think he wanted me to crit his American cowboy technique, honestly, he behaves worse than you, how old is he? Seventeen?"

Jareth snorted.

"He was ancient when the Pharaohs walked Aboveground, and don't be fooled by his charm, he's got twenty wives and his great wife is ferocious." He settled her more comfortably before him and he hummed with amusement. "And now everyone knows that he rode the hunt with you, only to return you to me. He was making a statement that you were mine and he approved before some of the most powerful kings in under his rule. That is some fairly spectacular protection, Sarah, very few would dare touch you now for fear of crossing him."

"Including you?" She asked pointedly.

"You did that all on your own with your book and your words, little mortal, don't look so smug. Now settle down or you'll fall off the horse."

"There is one thing for sure," Sarah said as she watched the valleys and rivers below flash past with their dusting of snow giving outlines to fields and roads, "Karen is never going to believe what I did for Yule."

Jareth just smirked.


	9. Chapter 9: explain?

**All I ask of you, is that when I cannot, would you . . .**

**Explain?**

Sarah hadn't intended to, but Karen had been so unhappy with her not being there for Christmas, that she caved and went home for New Years. Predictably, when she arrived alone having taken a taxi from the station, Karen's first question was,

"Where's your young man?"

Irked Sarah raised an eyebrow. Sidonie had stayed with her sister Etienette for the remaining Yule celebrations, but Jareth had returned to the Labyrinth and was inundated with runners that had been caught in the tricky time loop system he had set up. He had been handling them for several days now.

"Unexpected business came up," Sarah said blithely and slipped indoors. Outside the temperature was something approaching zero for all the clear skies.

"Oh, Jareth couldn't make it?" Toby stuck his head out of the kitchen, disappointed.

Sarah mouthed 'runners' and he nodded his understanding.

"Must suck, but it makes sense he'd be busy now. Come help me peel potatoes and tell me what you can of Yule!"

.

Granny Williams was there, and Toby was only staying for their old year's eve dinner, as he and Laura had a date later that night. They settled around the kitchen table and helped with the food preparation, Sarah carefully editing her words but enthusiastically describing the scale of the Yule parties. Karen interrupted often, to make sure she knew exactly how wonderful Christmas had been and how they had missed her. Toby cringed slightly on her behalf but said nothing.

When the doorbell rang at ten thirty in the morning Sarah did not expect Karen's excited exclamation.

"Ah, you were able to get off work then, Mr King? Oh do come in, Sarah's in the kitchen."

Toby and Sarah shared a shocked stare then both hurried out to greet him. When Sarah caught three goblins skittering up the stairs behind Karen she played along with Jareth's innocent expression. Toby snagged one and whispered something in his ear and the goblin slipped into his parent's room. Sarah couldn't find it in her heart to pity the chaos Karen would find later.

Sarah let Jareth draw her into a hug, he was warm and comfortable and smelled very good. The way he pressed his lips to her hair, she could almost forget their act.

"What are you doing here?" she asked as he smirked.

"The goblins mentioned I was missed."

Sarah nodded, but she saw the purple bags under his eyes, and realised he must have needed a break.

"You're welcome to join us watching old year's eve movies."

Jareth grimaced slightly.

"Or we could go for a walk now if you like?"

"It's a bit nippy out there," Toby complained.

"A walk sounds an excellent idea!" Jareth declared and Toby shot a scowl at him. To rile Toby up even further, Jareth enthusiastically implored the other people in the house to join them.

.

Granny Williams accompanied them in the mobility scooter, which, according to Toby, she had been using to terrorise the neighbourhood cats.

"Now then," she said as Robert and Karen walked ahead of them. Jareth and Sarah accompanied her, and Toby hung around to watch the potential fireworks. Ever since Jareth had herded them out of the house he'd been looking for payback. Sarah tried to surreptitiously shoo him off but he wouldn't leave.

"I see that young Toby knows, as does Sarah, the way she flits about you, but they don't." She pointed at Robert and Karen, "Of which people and family are you, King of the Fair Folk?"

Sarah stumbled, though Jareth didn't look too surprised at her words. Toby caught Sarah's elbow until she could walk steadily again. They both shared shocked looks.

"I was born Jareth, son of the Summer Princess, and I am the reigning Goblin King."

"Sarah!" Granny Williams scolded. "What did you bargain to get Toby back after you wished him away?"

Sarah cringed; she had forgotten that Granny Williams had been the one to give her the Labyrinth play.

"I didn't bargain anything; I won through and claimed him back! Beat Jareth at his own game."

Granny Williams stared up at Jareth so hard she almost drove off the sidewalk. Toby grabbed the scooter controls and straightened her out again.

"You're here of your own free will?"

"I am here at Sarah's request," Jareth declared.

"What bargain did she make with you, Your Majesty?" Granny Williams demanded.

"That I accompany her to her family gatherings while she accompanies me to mine."

Granny Williams scowled at him and Sarah felt her heart sink. Family gatherings, as in plural? Their agreement was Thanksgiving and Yule, Hoggle was right after all, Jareth would take advantage.

"Your word that you'll bring her back!"

"Of course, but there is no need to worry Sarah has free access in and out of the realms."

Granny Williams slowed the chair to a halt.

"She's fae touched? They both are, aren't they? What did you do to my grandchildren?"

"Nothing," Jareth said with too much suave innocence to be believable, he waved her on and she reluctantly drove beside him. "They merely loved the story that was mine, and had enough magic to say the right words with enough power. The William's line is intermingled with the Tylwyth Teg."

Granny Williams scowled and shook a finger at him.

"Not for twenty one generations," she fell silent, then murmured worriedly "the blood, it is that strong?"

"Not really, they are strong mortals, but as they have been in and out of my realm over the years their affinity grows stronger."

"You've been watching over them," Granny Williams murmured in surprise.

"And all your line, for the past five hundred years, your ultimate fae grandmother was a woman of great beauty I had once thought to marry, but she refused me and wed a human instead. She died a mortal," he concluded with a bleak sorrow, worn soft over the years.

Sarah slipped her hand into his and she felt his grief shudder through him.

Granny Williams smiled brightly at them.

"We owe you a debt of thanks, Your Majesty. And now, look, you've gained a wonderful girl in my Sarah. Don't let your sorrows and memories cloud what you have!"

Jareth was unnaturally subdued as they reached the park. Toby caught Sarah's eye and Sarah was privately panicking. This was an act! They had agreed. She knew Jareth wanted a relationship with her as little as she did him, but everything seemed to be conspiring against them.

Toby circled around and tugged her to walk behind Jareth and Granny Williams.

"If you have a melt down here Mom will know you and Jareth are faking it," he hissed in her ear.

"Did you hear what she said?" Sarah snapped back at him.

"Yes, and didn't Granny tell me three years ago that I'd move to the coast for my work? And where am I, still hundreds of miles from the coast. Smile and act or Mom is going to suspect, and so is Granny Williams. Get Jareth on board he looks as out of it as you are."

Sarah took a deep breath and smiled sheepishly at him.

"Thanks Toby."

.

As they entered the park she collected Jareth and drew him back out of earshot. She slipped her arm around his waist.

"Smile or we'll have to endure trickier questions from Karen."

He settled his arm across her shoulder.

"I've always watched in owl form before," he breathed, "I never imagined how difficult it would be walking alongside you while still acting as guardian."

She hummed her response, not knowing what to say.

.

The walk was peaceful, if cold. With Granny William's revelation, Sarah felt a slight weight off her shoulders; her grandmother understood. They came to a halt over the bridge overlooking the pond and the dell where Sarah had often retreated to escape the house in her teenage years.

"Robert," Granny Williams smiled up at her son, "I'd like to introduce you to the Goblin King, he's been our family's fae guardian for the past twenty one generations."

Sarah froze, Jareth flinched visibly, and Toby turned with a mixture of incredulity and horror on his face.

"Granny," he croaked.

Robert peered down at his mother in alarm.

"Mother, are you sure you took your medicine this morning?"

"Goblin King?" Karen exclaimed. "As in 'I wish the Goblin King would take away my child right now? Goblin King?"

"Mom!" Toby yelped and scampered away from Jareth, tripped off the edge of the bridge and didn't fall into the lake. There wasn't a splash at all, nor was there any sign of Toby, but there were a row of wide eyed goblins staring back at them.

Sarah spun around and waggled a finger at a widely grinning Jareth, who already had a crystal sparkling between his fingertips.

"We don't want the crystal. I'm helping her run the Labyrinth and don't you dare bog Toby or I'll find a way to contact Sidonie and we'll bog your entire boot collection!"

"Why don't I make it a whole family affair?" Jareth spread his arms.

"No! Karen is the only runner! Leave my father to see my grandmother home safely!"

"And you?"

"I said I'd help."

"Her or me?" He touched a gloved hand to his chest.

"Unless you want Toby to explain the idea of trade unions to your goblins, I suggest you hurry up with the explanations and go find him."

Jareth grimaced.

"Uppity mortal," he muttered under his breath and turned to Robert who had his jaw hanging open, Karen who turned whiter by the second and Granny Williams who glowered at him.

"You're Unseelie Fae, aren't you?" She waggled a finger at him.

"My mother is the Summer Princess, what do you think?" Jareth asked her.

"Who was your father?" Granny Williams demanded.

Jareth grinned broadly and said nothing.

"Imagine," Sarah put in dangerously, "Goblins coming to you with petitions for fair wages, or a parliament, or even, woe betide you, an elected president?"

"Sarah!" Jareth snapped at her.

"Don't look at me; Toby can be quite creative when irritated. I imagine he is now, as he is supposed to be meeting Laura this evening."

"Why are all my encounters with the Williams family so unbelievably complicated?" he complained and with a brisk movement strode over to Karen.

Robert tucked his wife behind him in alarm.

"Sarah," Jareth spoke as if he really did not want to say the words, "I do not want to fight with your father."

"Granny, tell Dad what's going on," Sarah grabbed Jareth and then Karen and the three of them vanished.

* * *

Jareth gestured to the Labyrinth as it could be seen in all its grandeur from the sandy hill west of the Goblin City outside the gate Hoggle guarded.

"… you have thirteen hours in which to solve the labyrinth before your son becomes one of us, forever."

Sarah squeaked as he grabbed her.

"And you'll not have help."

Sarah was less than impressed when they arrived in the throne room. She was about to rail at Jareth, when his eyes bugged out and his expression became a furious glower.

"Get off my throne!"

Toby lounged there, flipping Jareth's riding crop in his hand and he smirked at the Goblin King.

"I don't remember much from the first time I was here, but this is a seriously comfortable chair. Did you do like Harry Potter and put cushioning charms on it?"

Jareth marched over and snatched the crop away from him.

"Get. Off."

Sarah sidled away into the Escher room and sprinted for the inner keep to find Sidonie. The girl was still sleeping when she arrived. She lifted her head from the satin sheets and rubbed her eyes.

"Mmh? Sarah? Did Jareth let you visit? He's had back to back runners for days. I'm still sleeping off Yule."

Sarah explained the situation and Sidonie had a particularly mischievous expression by the end. She threw on her clothes and then conjured a crystal.

"Oh, look, your step mother is arguing with Hoggle. Let's get her through the gate at least before Jareth checks." She tossed the crystal into the air and they both appeared at the gate.

"What is going on? This Labyrinth is nothing like the book!" Karen scolded the moment she saw Sarah, "and who is she?"

"I'll be your grandchildren's fairy godmother," Sidonie smirked at her, "Hoggle, this is Sarah's step mother."

"Her? That old cow? She can stay out here." Hoggle turned away and went back to trimming the rose vines.

"Excuse me?" Karen choked in outrage.

"Hoggle," Sarah pleaded, "would you do this as a favour to me?"

"What sort of favour? And does the rat know you're here, he hates people interfering with runners."

"He doesn't know and we need to keep it that way so he doesn't interfere."

"Does Aboveground have any blue or purple plastic jewels?"

"I'll bring them for you next time I visit."

"Then get out of sight before His Majesty checks, we don't want him sulking from the beginning."

Sarah and Sidonie slipped into the Labyrinth and the door slammed behind them. They could hear Karen and Hoggle arguing some more, it might take a few minutes but Karen would eventually get through. Sarah not so subtly drew an arrow on the ground to the left and Sidonie drew one to the right.

"Oh, forgot that way was shorter, but I do like to see the Worms."

"This way bypasses the bog," Sidonie said with fervour and Sarah kicked out her arrow. They hurried along, and the goblins slipped out and redrew the arrows as soon as they had left the outer passage.

.

Hoggle found them an hour later with Karen trailing some distance behind him.

"Second time she's ended up in an oubliette, only this time the second one overlooked the bog. Surprise, surprise, that was the one time she actually did what I said."

Sarah and Sidonie stood from the bench they had been waiting on in the stone maze.

"Sarah that young man of yours is the most infuriating person I have ever met!" Karen exploded; she had dirt on the knees of her stockings but otherwise looked quite together. "You have to tell him to stop this nonsense immediately. I do not have time for this!"

"No, you don't." Sarah pointed down the passage. "Take two lefts and a right then follow the corridor stepping on only the raised stones until you come to a gate on your right, take that and we'll see if we can meet you there."

"Sarah Williams, are you not listening to me? You tell Jareth King that he is to stop this foolishness right now!"

Sarah and Sidonie flinched, and sure enough, the name was enough to summon Jareth.

"Remember what we said!" Sarah hissed as she, Sidonie and Hoggle darted separate ways through the Labyrinth.

"Don't you dare leave me here, Sarah Williams! Oh! You young nuisance, Mr King, you should be ashamed of yourself!"

"Did I hear you calling for Sarah?" Jareth's voice had a touch of menace.

Sarah fled.

.

They found Karen again three hours later wandering the hedge maze, her jacket sleeve a little torn, but she was still grimly making her way through the Labyrinth.

"Sarah!" she called with imperious fury.

Sarah wanted to run in the other direction, but Karen needed help, she had to think of Toby.

"Karen," she came to a halt in front of her, "do you understand what is happening here?"

"Your dwarf friend Hoggle said that what Mr King said was true, and I honestly don't know how he could be quite so out of touch..."

Sarah groaned.

"Karen, don't name him, he's fae and can hear his name."

"Indeed, precious thing," Jareth purred in her ear, making her flinch. "Did I not leave you in my throne room?"

Sarah turned about but Jareth, in his full armour, caught her in his arms.

"I said I would help her, don't you dare do anything!"

"Ah, but she is a runner, under contract. Until the time is up, there is no renegotiation."

"You have no power over me," Sarah growled at him and he stepped sharply backwards. "No, precious thing, I do not, but over her, oh yes I do." He smirked and tossed a crystal in his hand.

"Karen," Sarah said before Jareth decided to use that crystal, "what he said is true. You will lose Toby if you don't finish the run. Take it seriously."

"That's quite enough—" Jareth began but Sarah spoke over him.

"Listen to the people here, they know this realm."

"—of that, precious thing. I will not tolerate this –"

"It's faerie, this place, remember the old tales? Nothing is as it seems!" It was then that she saw Hoggle and a few goblins peeking out from a side entrance, and was relieved that Karen would have a guide when Jareth left.

"— defiance."

The crystal shattered over her and Sarah found herself in an oubliette. It had a stone floor covered in old brown leaves, so that figured there was an exit somewhere.

"So he found you also?" Sidonie asked.

Sarah almost jumped out of her skin at the voice in the shadows. Sidonie laughed.

"Yeah, and he's irritated," Sarah sighed. "I hope I managed to get through to Karen this time."

After a moment's further inspection of the dim cavern, she pointed.

"There, we have to climb the wall a bit, but that's our door out of here."

.

It was almost six hours in when they found them again, still in the hedge maze. Jareth had blocked Sidonie's scrying crystals when he had dumped her in the oubliette.

"Sarah!" The relief in the shout was palpable. "This place is mad! Worse than Alice in Wonderland!"

Sarah couldn't make out the rest of her babble as Karen ran over to her and hugged her. Somewhere along the way she had lost all the buttons down her neat black coat she wore, and had tied her scarf about her waist to keep it closed. She patted her step mother on the back, by the looks of things she had encountered helping hands and a few disagreeable goblins. Once her shaking had subsided, Karen drew herself up straight, and gathered her wits.

"Don't name him!" Sarah warned and Karen shut her mouth with a glare, she wasn't so shocked that she had forgotten her irritation.

"At last, she listens!" Hoggle declaimed and shuffled about to Sarah's side to glower up at Karen.

"You have to be the most stubborn runner we've had in years, and you've got the best help anyone could ever have! No wonder Sarah complains about you, you don't listen."

"I will not hear such things from you," Karen scolded and stepped back from Sarah.

Sarah, however, had had enough; Karen still fought the wrong battle, perhaps if she simplified the explanation.

"Karen," she grabbed her arm, "tell me, when you are in a court room do you write down what the arrest docits say, or do you write what the accused says in the stand?"

"You record what the accused says."

"Correct. Now, what you have been told, that you have to complete the Labyrinth, that's like an arrest docit. Hearing it from the accused gives you details you could never glean. Has wandering around for six hours allowed you to learn anything?"

After a while Karen spoke.

"This is faerie land, and the things that look mechanical are mostly magic, but not all. The one in charge is a terrible tyrant who is forces us to play this mad game. We cannot get out unless we play by his rules. You have done this before."

Karen trailed off and shot Sarah a fierce glare.

"When did you wish Toby away?"

"When he was two," she said flatly, "I was fifteen. Remember how you said I had grown up over night? This place is the reason for it."

"How could you!" Karen breathed in outrage.

"No," Sarah stepped up and glowered at her, "how could you? Where is Toby now? Are you not the runner?"

Karen's fury simmered.

"That tyrant is evil, how could you like him?"

"He's not all that bad," Sarah admitted, "but you are in a contract with him, and it is up to you to get out of it. I can tell you how, teach you the words, but unless you take them seriously, they won't work."

"You know this magic?"

"I defeated this magic, want me to tell you how?"

"Yes, I've been at this for six hours! It's quite ridiculous."

"The quickest route through the Labyrinth from the gate as a runner is four hours and that is if His Nibs is not around and making things difficult. He doesn't like you. No one here does. They met me first and saw how you treated me. Of all the people to run the Labyrinth, you've possibly got the most uncomfortable run."

"Is that why we've ended up in seven different oubliettes?" Hoggle complained.

"The way you're going about it, you're not going to make it out of the Labyrinth for three days. You have just under seven hours left. Follow Hoggle's instructions. He lives here. He knows its changing nature." Sarah pointed up back the way they had come. "I'd suggest visiting the Wiseman, give him one of your earrings as payment. We'd best go, we've lingered too long."

.

Sarah wrapped a scarf around her nose and mouth; Sidone had won the coin toss. Sir Didymus guarded the bridge and Karen stood to one side while Ludo and one of his sons, Sir Didymus and Hoggle all caught up on the local gossip, not one of them listening to Karen as she pleaded for a way across.

"Hey!" She called to them as she walked over the plank. "I thought you all hated the smell!"

"Smell bad!" Ludo agreed. "But Karen lady worse."

"I refuse to negotiate in the bog itself!" Sarah spluttered. "Sir Didymus, may we have your permission to cross?"

"Yes, Lady, but not Karen lady."

"Sir Didymus, I'll play scrabble with you every evening for the next week if you let Karen across."

He debated this.

"Two weeks," Sarah proposed, the smell was dreadful, "and Hoggle you're also invited."

"Done!" Hoggle said on Sir Didymus' behalf.

"Great, Karen go across first and don't slip; this stink does not come off."

.

Once the stench of the bog had lessened, Karen came to a weary halt in the forest. She settled onto a mossy boulder and put her head in her hands.

"You give up here, you lose your memories, you lose your son and I will never enter your house again," Sarah snapped at her. "Get up."

"I'm exhausted. It's been eight hours!" Karen panted. "Don't you have any mercy? That young man of yours is utterly cruel."

"He's not actually my young man," Sarah said bluntly. "He was an acquaintance doing me a favour. If you want to hear the story, get up and walk with me, we can't stop."

"Actually," a suave voice purred, "you can, and will!"

Sarah spun around to face Jareth, though now he was dressed in his grey jodhpurs, and dark leather coat and he expertly twirled his crop through his fingers.

"Karen, don't ever eat or sleep in fairyland you won't wake up!" Sarah called before Jareth's lightly tossed crystal dumped her into his ballroom. Music sang through the air and she recognised half of the dancers from the ball at the Fae palace. Her clothing had changed, to a lavender gown with puffed sleeves and a plunging neckline. Sidonie ran over, alarmed, she too wore a ball gown, though hers was Jareth's favourite blue.

"Jareth's activated the dreams, we're stuck."

Just then Jareth appeared silently behind them. He startled them both as he draped his arms around them. It took all Sarah's self control not to tug his hair as he rested his head on her now bare shoulder.

"What am I to do with you, scurrying little mice, she's not going to understand the purpose if you keep helping her."

Sarah irritably ignored him as he kissed her neck then sighed, his breath tickling over her collarbone.

"Do not approach her," he ordered. "If she cannot escape the dreams, then she has not earned her the freedom of her mind within the Underground. Even you have to abide by these rules, Champion. Right now you're very close to setting yourself up as an opposing power to my own and you do not have the skill at magic to hope to challenge me."

Sarah turned and looked Jareth dead in the eye, and felt a wobble of worry; he had never looked so ancient or so serious as he did then. A heartbeat later, he flashed a cheeky grin, his sharp teeth bit at his lip playfully.

"All the same, the challenge is quite invigorating."

The innuendo of the word made Sarah reach up and tug his hair into his eyes.

"Go find some other lady to flirt with, it doesn't work on me!"

Only this pulled his head down and he took the opportunity to kiss her bare shoulder. He smoothly released his half sister and Sarah found herself gathered in a hug that left no secret of his intentions as he moulded his body to hers. She reached down and pinched his leg, hard. He jumped and chuckled darkly.

"You have no power over me," she whispered, then turned abruptly and walked away as the dream dissolved around her. At the last minute, she grabbed Sidonie.

They found themselves in Jareth's study.

"Woah, Sarah," Sidonie shook her head. "My brother is going to be furious. I'll wait at the city gates for Karen, but I'm not attempting the junk yard."

She vanished and Sarah huffed in indignation as she realised she would have to walk all the way.

.

It took her two hours to find the exit from the Escher room, and that was only because she recognised the kitchens. As she was about to exit the castle a firm hand grasped her wrist. Sarah turned to find Jareth in his loose open shirt, his hair slightly scruffy and a smudge of dirt on his cheek.

"Don't look so angry, precious thing; you impressed everyone with that vanishing act of yours."

"It was but an illusion, but in the manner of fae, a shared dream among all those drawn into it," Sarah reasoned out.

He quirked an eyebrow.

"How curious, you're beginning to understand something of magic, perhaps I should not be so worried then," with that, he turned and vanished.

Sarah threw her hands up in frustration at the abrupt departure and marched off, she had her stepmother to find. Only, it was a relief that he was not as angry as Sidonie had hinted.

.

A few minutes after the twelfth hour, Sarah, Hoggle, Sir Didymus, Ludo and his two sons, Chill the Fiery and fifteen goblins walked behind a very ragged Karen, into the Throne Room. Sarah tiredly gawked at Jareth and Toby who sat opposite each other across the pit playing Aye Dark Overlord with five of Jareth's goblin guard. The goblins were particularly good at the card game, and Sarah smiled she realised that Toby, not Jareth, was acting the Dark Overlord. Toby wore a quite a ridiculous hood and cape with letters embroidered on the hem of the hood in the Georgian script that read "I stink of bog water and fiery farts." Sarah didn't think Toby knew that, and it was a sure sign Jareth had lost the toss to be Dark Overlord.

"And she was also a cat, you say?" Toby asked trying to keep a straight face as the Goblin nodded so hard his helmet slipped into his eyes. "All purry and beautiful, and it was Kingy's fault, for sending her our way!"

"My fault?" Jareth exclaimed and disdainfully dropped his next card before them. "I said she was too beautiful to be trusted yet what did you louts do?"

"Trust her," the goblins chorused, and Jareth went right on talking. "I, however, procured a mummy to help attack the troll guarding the tower where the princess was trapped, but Oreo over there," he pointed at the goblin beside Toby, "thought that it was a gift to be unwrapped and we were left with bones and dust leaking everywhere!"

"Leaking dust, when you've just reported a rain storm of epic proportions, that would be mud, wouldn't it?" Toby sniggered and tossed a Withering Look card at Jareth, then froze as he noticed everyone behind Jareth.

The Goblin King glanced behind him, gaped sheepishly for a moment, then promptly leaped up, grabbed Toby and hauled him bodily into the Escher room.

"I am still the Evil Overlord!" Toby's shout echoed up to them. "Ugh, Mom, you'd better get here quick, this place gives me vertigo!"

Karen turned to Sarah in bewilderment.

"They were sitting here playing that silly game Toby got for his birthday!"

"Yes, but to free Toby from the enchantment you have to confront Jareth and say the right words. You have them memorised now. You can give him the earful I know you have for him when you've undone the spell."

"Why does he go to all this trouble?" Karen said crossly, Sarah was surprised she still had the energy to be angry. "Why not speak to us like a civilised human being? I know he is quite capable!"

"Because he is fae," Sarah explained for what felt like the hundredth time, "and if you don't lift the enchantment, he can keep Toby."

Karen frowned.

"You keep saying that."

"And you refuse to believe every one of us," Sarah snapped in exasperation then decided to hit below the belt. "You have to break the enchantment or you'll never see Toby again, and he won't marry Laura and you won't get any grandchildren!"

Karen scowled at her; it had been a long horrible twelve hours and everyone was tetchy.

"I suppose I must believe this nonsense as you have been right about this so far." She cast a glance at Chill, as it had been the Fiery taking his head off that had convinced her completely that she was in a different realm with different rules to what she knew.

She straightened and walked on and they all remained where they were.

"You have to confront him alone. Remember your words," Sarah said soberly.

Karen nodded and held her chin as regal and high as she could and stepped into the Escher room.

.

Within two seconds everyone, including Sarah had high tailed it out of the throne room to take the back stairs down to the upper levels of the Escher room to watch the proceedings. They all peered over the edge of the stairs and down at Jareth and Karen below. Jareth was now in his black armour and prowling around Karen in a most intimidating manner. By his scathing tone he was irked at something, she didn't blame him. Karen was a trial in and of herself.

"Got to get closer," Chill said.

"No!" Sarah yelped as Chill carefully aimed his head and dropped it.

"That is most unseemly!" Sir Didymus exclaimed as Chill's head bounced off Karen's bosom with an alarmed apologetic squawk from Chill.

"Bog," Jareth declared almost negligently.

The next moment they were all scrambling in the air above the Bog of Eternal Stench. Sarah had never been so grateful for the trees overhanging the bog in her life.

"Chill! What did you do that for?" she yelled at the Firey, who was hastily reattaching body parts as to keep them up in the tree and not in the bog below.

It took them struggling and wriggling and Ludo and his sons calling several large boulders for them all to get out without landing in the putrid water below. They trooped back to the castle, only to find Jareth back on his throne with Karen and Toby standing before him.

"Your mother has won you your freedom. What more would you ask of me? You requested this boon, Toby," he prompted.

Toby noticed Sarah and relaxed visibly. He took a card out of his pocket.

"Your third Withering Look, minion."

Jareth gazed at him for several heartbeats.

"You play a very dangerous game, Tobias Williams. Rematch, next Friday evening with whichever miserable goblins you can convert to your cause and I shall be Dark Overlord next time!"

Toby removed the cape and tossed it to Jareth who smugly caught it out of the air.

"According to this you'll stink of bog water and fiery farts!"

Jareth blinked then roared with laughter.

"Go on home, or I'll have Robert in here. I suppose I had better go with you. Sarah, open a door if you would. The rest of you stay in the Underground, this is family business. If I see anyone, and that includes you Hogbert, I'll reassign you to Sir Didymus's post!"

* * *

Sarah walked to the alcove and opened a door to her old bedroom and they all trooped through. They wound down the stairs to the living room where Robert sat with the Labyrinth book in his hands and Granny Williams sat watching the last of the New Year's count down on television.

"All back in one piece," Jareth declared and raised a hand when Robert shot to his feet and charged over to him. "Before you accuse me of anything, it was your wife who carelessly said the words."

Robert faltered in his steps and glanced back at his mother who shot him a very stern stare. He rounded on Jareth.

"I'll never let you marry my daughter."

"Oh, Robert," Karen breathed, "it was all an act! They were out to pretend so I wouldn't pester Sarah about dating all Thanksgiving."

Robert stood for a moment with his mouth open, the wind taken out of his sails.

"Sarah?" he turned to her and she folded her arms at his dismay.

"Every Thanksgiving, Christmas and birthday, without fail for the past twenty years, I grew tired of it. Let me give you an early warning, I'm spending my birthday at the Labyrinth, so won't be around then."

"But you never said that it annoyed you," Robert exclaimed.

"No, I was being polite. I am now done being polite. Had I not helped Karen through that run through the Labyrinth Toby would have been Jareth's subject and you would never have seen him again. You owe me. Never mention dating, marriage, potential children or anything of the sort around me. Did you ever consider that I might actually honestly want a boyfriend, and through some rotten luck, never found one? Do you know how much that hurts? To be asked why I do not have the desires of my heart and to have no answer?"

"Oh, Sarah, if you would just stop being so stubborn, I am sure we can find a nice boy for you." Karen declared.

"Karen, so help me," she grit her teeth and stepped over to Jareth, "please take us home now."

* * *

She relaxed as they arrived in the throne room again.

"Thank you," she whispered and wiped her coat sleeve over her tears. "Thank you for returning Toby, and sorry it was so messed up."

She flinched when he gathered her into a hug but relaxed when the hug was not predatory, but warm and comfortable.

"Why did you defy me and help Karen," he asked with an edge to his voice that she hadn't heard since her first run through the Labyrinth.

Sarah peeked up at him. He looked distinctly upset.

"Because as much as you want Toby as your heir, he has a job, a girlfriend and Karen dotes on him. I dote on him. He's not yours Jareth, and I will continue to make sure of that." She then realised what she had said and put her head on his shoulder and gave him a hug. "I'm sorry. I just did to you what Karen did to me. You want an heir and I was all mean about it. Sorry."

She held him until she could feel his breathing was even and the tremors had left him. She drew away and smiled at him as he ran his hands down her arms then released her.

"I'll see you Friday night for the Dark Overlord game, and this," she snatched up the embroidered hood and cloak denoting the title of Dark Overlord, "shall be mine."

She darted away with a laugh as he tried to grab her and made it through the portal before he could catch her. She waved a farewell and he simply grinned at her and with a flick of his wrist and the glitter of a crystal, he wore a hooded cloak that read "Goblin King, Dark Overlord."

When she looked down the hood of the robe she held it read "Chief Minion, Champion of the Labyrinth."

"Jareth!" she exclaimed but he shut down the portal and the last thing he saw was his Cheshire like grin.


	10. Chapter 10: dream?

**All I ask of you, is that when I cannot, would you . . .**

**Dream**

"So," Sidonie said, "what are you doing for the Aboveground Valentine's day?"

Sarah and Sidonie sat drawing on their clothing, she on a pair of jeans, and Sidonie on a skirt. Each completed image Sidonie animated with a touch of fae magic. The little roses Sarah drew onto the ankle cuffs swayed as if in a light breeze every time she moved the trouser leg. Sidonie had just perfected the complicated little charm and used it on everything. Her room looked like a breezy forest.

Sarah laughed tiredly.

"I have to meet the people doing the planning for the comic they're making of my books that week, and the fourteenth is slap bang in the middle of it. Maybe I'll organise a 'make your own Valentines cup cake' gig at my house for the goblins when I get back on the Saturday."

"You already sound tired, are you getting enough sleep? I could ask Jareth for a peach draught for you."

"No!" Sarah said a touch too vehemently and Sidonie sniggered, knowing exactly what a sore topic that was. "No," she said more gently, "don't bother him, he's been out of sorts lately."

"He won't even talk to me, and he always talks to me." Sidonie huffed, "I'll try to discover what's eating him."

"Thanks," she said. "I'll be sure to send you several blank Valentines cards in the letter drop so you can send them to those interested young men back in Anwath."

Sidonie went pink.

"Wrap them in brown paper, and don't you dare tell Jareth!"

"Not a word," Sarah promised, amused.

* * *

She had quite forgotten the conversation by the time Saturday the seventeeth of Feburary came around. She arrived home exhausted. She dumped her formal clothes over the back of her chair and changed into her most comfortable shirt and jeans. As a writer she was used to being independent and the chore of handling the meetings and group work required to get through the planning stages was awful, but what she hated most was the small period just after. The work was gone for the moment, but she was too tired to celebrate. She trooped across to the Labyrinth. She didn't bother Jareth in his throne room, but went to find her calmest friend. Ludo took one look at her and put a gentle hand on her head.

"Sawah, sleep."

"That's right, Sarah sleep." She smiled; a nap was a brilliant idea.

They walked out into the Enchanted Forest; there were warmed glades within, and one near the road perfect for napping in and pretending that icy mid February was a balmy summer evening.

She was just relaxing in the hummock when a lantern swung over her face.

"Mortal, you cannot sleep here!"

Sarah tensed with fright, but Sidonie spoiled her act by sniggering at the end. She was dressed to the nines in a very fetching dress made of glittering veils, and she wore a mask over her face with hearts all over it.

"No wonder the goblins couldn't find you, I had to scry!" she scolded. "No time for napping, I've planned something way better than boring cupcakes!"

Sarah tiredly swung herself out of the hummock.

"Just tell me you have my dress planned."

"Oh! Yes!" Sidonie danced about and the girl's enthusiasm was infectious. Sarah followed her through the short cuts in the Labyrinth back to the central keep of the castle. She wondered if any of her elder sisters had ever indulged her, probably not by her enthusiasm.

Sarah allowed herself to be dressed in a beautifully beaded white dress; it was as though Sidonie had taken her own artistry to the dress she had worn in the peach dream, with a dash of daring romance. The neckline was low, and the sleeves puffed, and the skirts were full but not the hooped dress she had worn before.

"Are we going to a ball?" she asked.

"Yes!" Sidonie presented her with a mask that was almost feline, though done up with pearlescent glitter. "A small one, just some people I know."

"And Jareth?" Sarah asked.

Sidonie sniffed.

"He's not invited. He wouldn't tell me what's eating him, so he can spend the weekend repairing the magic on the warm glades in the Enchanted forest and only hear about the ball later. That should stir him up enough to talk."

Sarah had to laugh at the sibling pique, and mentally adjusted her mind from 'elegant ball' to 'teenage rave'.

.

The party was in full swing by the time they arrived. It was in a wing of the castle she hadn't seen before, and it was humming. Sarah followed Sidonie through the crowd, relieved at what a mixed one it was. There were many people Sidonie's age, but along with them those that looked in their twenties and thirties, and a few in their late forties, though what that amounted to in true age, Sarah could not guess. The two dance floors were packed and the rest of the party spread out onto the sloping lawn beyond. It was here Sidonie dragged her to meet one of the beaus she had sent a card to, he had very cute antlers on his head, half a foot high and Sarah had to restrain herself from stroking the apparently velvety appendages as he greeted her with a courtly bow. He took Sarah's hand for that dance, and so it went. After each dance, her partner introduced her to someone new, declaring she should meet this or that acquaintance of theirs, and she slowly discovered that many of these people were close friends of the family. It was only when she took the hand of her next partner, a tall man wearing a dragon mask, and Chinese silks, introduced as simply 'my grandfather' that she realised she had seen many of them before at the Yule ball.

"Emperor Shu?" she gasped as she recognised his violet eyes.

"Hush now Sarah, we would not want to draw attention, now would we?" He drew her into his hold for the foxtrot that was about to begin.

"What are you doing here? Did Sidonie invite you?" Sarah peeked around but could not see the hostess.

"I doubt she knows we are acquainted," he chuckled, "but she invited several of my grandchildren, so I came to see what the occasion was. They know to keep quiet; it's an old game of ours."

"So you're not here to get the scoop of the week on the Goblin Kingdom without the bother of dealing with Jareth's histrionics?"

"I'd not put it so harshly," he chuckled at that and they were too swept up in their foxtrot to talk much after that. Though Shu lead with flair, Sarah silently thanked Karen for insisting on ballroom dancing lessons before her prom. The Emperor drew her off the dance floor as the foxtrot ended and effortlessly snagged a plate of eats and drinks for them.

"I've remembered a few more stories, if you wish to retire to a bench outside to take in the stars?"

Sarah sipped her very fruity cocktail and nodded enthusiastically. Shu, for all he was Emperor, knew some excellently mortifying tales of Jareth's past. In the quarter of an hour they sat outside, Sarah gained three sumptuous tales of Jareth's misspent youth.

"How different are the stars Aboveground?" Emperor Shu asked with idle curiosity as he stretched his legs out before him and peered up at the night skies. They sat within the warm bubble that kept the cold night at bay from the grassy lawn and the stars twinkled overhead.

"Quite different," Sarah had brought a star map once, and nowhere on the northern or southern hemisphere could she find the stars of the Labyrinth, "if I didn't know better I'd say that the Underground is a completely different planet in half way across the universe and just linked to earth by what portals we can construct. But the doors don't feel that far, what I think is closer to the truth is that Above and Underground are close but out of sync in time, which is why time drifts for me if I spend too much time here and don't go back within thirteen hours. It's not time travel though, say back a thousand years to before medieval times, but rather at the time the plains were divided the Underground was slowed. While the sun cycles are the same for both, the synchronizing is not, so as a day passes Above, anything from a day and a half to a hundred years can pass in the Underground. I think Jareth can read such things and knows how to link the Labyrinth up to the right time."

She glanced up to see the Emperor inspecting her with frank astonishment.

"To think a mortal, through observation alone, is able to deduce that which has eluded everyone save the Veil Mages. You are indeed the Champion of the Labyrinth. Though be cautious with whom you share such an observation, it is one of Jareth's secrets."

"Is that why you sneaked out to meet me?" Sarah asked, curiously, "to see that I kept his secrets? I get the impression that Jareth's dangerous and powerful in a way you can't approach, though your power is different, and Jareth has no desire to rule an Empire."

"I did not sneak out," he sounded a little put out, "I travel incognito to many places, it helps keep a smoothly running Empire. Yet you're one of the few I revealed myself to because you're from the Aboveground through your own whim and power and quite frankly, Jareth doesn't shut up about you when he's had a few pints."

Sarah felt her cheeks go red and wished her mask covered more than her eyes.

"He gets very amorous when drunk, ignore him."

"Oh we do," Emperor Shu chuckled "but it does make for some spectacular blackmail. Ah, I think you have an admirer," he nodded towards the door where some distance away a goblin was watching them to see if it was safe to approach.

"I think he recognised you, they usually just run over."

"Then I should take my leave," Emperor Shu stood and helped her up. He handed her off to Spriggy as the goblin eagerly begged a dance from her. Sarah turned as she recalled one last thing.

"We cleaned and wrapped your cloak for you, find Sidonie and she'll return it," she called to the Emperor as Spriggy dragged her away.

.

The ball became dreamlike, the music drove her feet, and some of the time she did not touch the ground. By now several other people floated around the ceiling, as if they danced on the floor. Her feet ached. Somewhere at the back of her mind, Sarah remembered she had to walk until she could not hear the sound in order to stop dancing. She was so tired that when she could still hear the music in the throne room, she hurried out of the castle. She skipped, almost floated and danced to the faint tugging sounds. It was as she returned to the enchanted forest, searching for the restful clearing that her body finally relaxed, though it still twitched to the music that echoed in her head.

She thought she had found the right warmed glade when she encountered a hummock and tried it. It came to her as she drifted off that Ludo did not rest nearby. Puzzled, she danced up into the skies and came down in the next clearing, startling herself that the magic had actually worked so strongly. Ah, but no, this was a dream. The clearing she landed in was also empty. The wind brought the sound of music on it and she danced again, but this time moving away from the castle, knowing she had to be free of it. The stars glittered overhead and she half thought the cold February air should have woken her, but the enchantment, though weakening still held. Glitter trailed from her fingers and she smiled as her feet settled lightly on the grass of another glade. Though this one was occupied by a handsome man, she darted across to where he lay wrapped in a dull grey cloak and scarf and napped in the pleasantly warm glade.

His eyes flickered open as she crouched down beside him.

"To what do I owe the pleasure, my lady?"

"It's you!" she was delighted, she hadn't danced with him this evening and had so badly wanted to.

The Goblin King stood; and she was most disappointed that he did not wear trousers. He was dressed in a simple pale grey ankle length robe so plain she was unsure it was him for a moment.

"I float and dance," she laughed it off. "You are all dull and orderly, we have changed our parts."

"In our dreams we are often not what we are, yet perhaps more truly who we are?"

"If that is true, then I am going to steal you away and kiss you until you cannot breathe."

He took her in his arms as if to step off in a waltz and they were twisted away to land on fluffy clouds of pillows. It was wonderful, lying in his arms, kissing his lips, only he was more wiggly than kissable. He teased and tickled and made her laugh so she could not breathe. In revenge, she trailed her fingers across his bare skin and made him half sob for her. The ultimate satisfaction of their union was slow to build yet exquisite in its finish. They curled into each other, and she wasn't sure if he wanted the dream to be more real, or she.

.

"Sawah?"

She opened her eyes groggily, and found Ludo yawning. It was cool now that the early hint at dawn touched the horizon.

"Is eawly. Sawah still need bed?"

"Oh, I only meant to nap for the evening!" Sarah sat up and then almost fell out of the hummock. Her whole body ached, her feet and head the worst. She groaned as she hazily remembered some fae party. By the throbbing of her head there had been strong wine and possibly things mortals should not eat. She tugged the shawl from around herself, and recognised it as Sidonie's, the girl must have found her and tucked it in for warmth. She dropped out of the hummock and wove across to Ludo, still drunk, she realised. She came to an abrupt halt as Ludo ambled out of the clearing and was very glad for the darkness that hid her flaming blush. Of all places to have a such a dream. And with him of all people. She trooped after Ludo back to the exit, and was exceedingly thankful that Jareth had not decided to nap on his throne that night. She did not think she could look him in the eye without blushing scarlet.

.

She hopped into the shower and stood running the warm water all over her skin. She scrunched her face up and let the water run down her back.

"I can't believe I'm in love with the Goblin King. Again!" She shut off the water and scrubbed her hair dry. Her subconscious was having a fine time of it, miserable base dreams and desires. She inspected herself in the mirror, almost expecting to see a hicky on the side of her neck. Goodness knows she had left enough on his dream self for him to look like a spotted leopard for the next week. She flushed with mortification. No. She simply wouldn't visit the Labyrinth until this imprudent obsession was over. She would get a hold on it. It was quite foolish for a young woman of her age to chase whimsical fae kings. She sourly considered her dating prospects were becoming slimmer as she grew older. Why couldn't she, like Toby, have met someone in the first month of working at her first job? No, she was forever torn between the shimmering beauty of the Labyrinth and the earthy reality of the mortal world.

She sighed. She was able to keep herself comfortably with her writing. The goblins were wonderful literary critiques and Hoggle, Ludo and Sir Didymus were all good friends. Jareth was a problem, but in that, nothing had changed. He liked to share around irritation and keep his misery and love close. She knew that much now, after the three years since he had reappeared in her life. Only, this last dastardly dream, had twisted their careful balance into something more for her. Something he didn't want, and something she could never have. She shivered. That did not change how much she desired it with her whole being. She pulled on her pyjamas and crawled into bed. When she woke, she was going to write some dreadfully smutty fan fiction for Garrik and pray Jareth never discovered the internet.


	11. Chapter 11: love?

**All I ask of you, is that when I cannot, would you . . .**

**Love?**

Sarah found Jareth lounging within one of the broad arches of the upper passage of the castle that overlooked the Labyrinth. The skies were streaked with pinks and greys as the sunlight was lost to the land. She felt her breath catch at the stark loneliness in his gaze as he absently twirled crystal orbs in one hand. She knew she would hate to be caught at such a vulnerable moment, so scuffed her shoes on the stone beneath her feet and smiled out at the skies as she approached. He set the crystals free to float on the wind as she neared his expression one of slightly sardonic, yet genuine pleasure.

"Sarah!" he breathed almost reverently, like a thirsty man seeing water in a desert. She stepped up to stand beside the arch he occupied.

She didn't blame him his reaction, she had avoided the Labyrinth for months. He'd been as busy, Spring and Summer with the stress of a the end of the school term and the indolence and inherent selfishness holidays brought, there were an increase of runners. Only, her issue had to be addressed.

"Goblin King," she spoke before her courage failed her, "you and I have to discuss the issue of a child."

He canted his head for a moment and then leaned to look behind her.

"What child?" He asked in honest bewilderment. "I deal in many children; most become goblins or lose their memories."

Sarah gave him a flat look and patted her stomach.

"This child!"

His face was a picture of astonished bewilderment.

"You would wish away a child not yet born?"

Sarah did a double take.

"Excuse me?" she spluttered out, offended.

There was a long awkward moment as they stared each other down; trying to puzzle out what the other was so confused over.

"Here!" Sarah growled and took out the pregnancy test from a few months back and handed it to him. He took it delicately in his fingers. She smirked. She wasn't about to tell him that she'd had to pee on it to get it to work.

"It's a stick with little lines on it?"

"Yes. It says I'm pregnant."

"Congratulations," he said with that bright brittle tone of his that always wanted to make her hold him until he was not quite so fragile.

"Congratulations?" Sarah protested and almost flung the ultrasound picture at him. "I'd say, congratulations," she concluded sarcastically.

"What is this?" He had it upside down. She righted it and pointed to the smudges that formed the shape of a healthy developing child.

"That is my little baby."

He dropped his feet off the ledge to the floor and sat peering at the picture with fascination.

"I had heard they could take images of young before they were born, but this is the first time I have ever seen it!" he said with wonder. He peered at her stomach with a frown. "You are not showing much, how many weeks?"

"Five months!" she said vehemently, yet he still didn't get it.

"You are one of those women who carry small," he concluded with understanding.

"I've a tipped uterus," Sarah said with less frustration, some of the people in the expectant mothers group she had joined had been quite mean about how little she had showed.

He sank back to sit against the wall of the arch again.

"Who is your lover, so I may send my congratulations?" there was a definite tone of bitterness in his voice then.

Sarah fisted her hands on her hips. He did not just say that.

"Jareth," she said warningly.

He twitched at her tone and eyed her warily.

"I will do neither you nor your loved ones any harm, you have my word, Sarah," he said reluctantly, as if stoically trying to hide the hurt he felt.

Sarah almost shoved him off the window seat right then she was so infuriated.

"Your Majesty, Jareth the bloody Goblin King, did you or did you not have a wild night of sex with me five months ago?"

He sat up straight and gaped up at her.

"I had a most spectacular dream–" he trailed off as his jaw dropped.

He tried to speak for several moments, but no sound came out of his mouth. She had never seen such a wholly shocked expression on anyone. If he, the Goblin King and master of dreams and nightmares, was bamboozled by the dream, then she had had no chance. Oh, she blamed the subtle magic of the Labyrinth for this, and that Valentine's party of Sidonie's. Why did magic make things magnitudes more complicated?

He eventually raised a trembling hand and placed it ever so delicately over her stomach.

"It's mine?" his voice shook.

"Who else in the Above or Underground, would I sleep with?" Sarah asked incredulously.

He blinked.

"No, honestly, are you sure it's mine?" he said with a tremulous tone of uncertainty in his voice.

She drew back and clenched her fists.

"If you think I have been sleeping around with other men you're mistaken! You do not get to smooth talk your way out of this!"

"Smooth talk?" he tried for waspish, but it came out oddly hurt. From the shock, emerged a strange expression of incredulous wonder. "Sarah, you gave me your love?"

She blushed at the way he said it, all tender and delicate as if it were the most precious thing in the world.

She nodded, not trusting her voice to give away as many emotions as he had.

"And the Labyrinth wove you into its very essence and brought you to me. I knew that dream was of strong portent, I simply never expected it to be real."

He slipped off the arched window to kneel in front of her and so gently settled his arms around her as if she were exceedingly fine crystal, his cheek resting against her stomach. She felt him trembling before she noticed the tears. Alarmed, yet somewhat exasperated at his reaction, she grasped his arms and crouched down beside him to pull him into a hug. He clung to her and simply sobbed into her shoulder. Sarah sighed and rubbed circles on his back. She was carding her fingers through his ragged hair by the time he finally calmed down. His breath still hitched at moments, but he held her and slowly strengthened his grip until it could be considered a hug.

"Thank you," he said thickly.

She hummed at that and with a final squeeze, he released her and sat back on his haunches. He looked an utter mess. His hair was clumped every which way and his makeup had run, revealing the beautiful pale skin beneath.

Then suddenly the moment passed and he stood abruptly to his feet, his eyes bright with delight.

"I will have rooms prepared for the child beside my own," he said firmly. "He or she will want for nothing."

Sarah frowned at him.

"You would take the child when it is born, just like that?"

"Of course!" he exclaimed with a broad smile. "It is my own flesh and blood! Heir to my kingdom," he finished in wonder.

"And what am I? Chopped liver?" Sarah snapped in fury.

"You may visit whenever you so desire," he reassured her fervently. "You are my child's mother. I shall never deny you."

"Oh you insufferable piece of work!" Sarah pushed herself up from the ground and stomped her way along the passage. "You do not get to take this child away from me, even for a second!"

"Sarah!" He scrambled after her.

He appeared directly before her so she almost slammed into him, trying to walk through the door.

"Sarah, I would never take this child from you, never."

She took a sharp step back out of his reach and tried to calm her ragged breathing.

"Only," he said softly, "I do not have an heir, and this child will be sure to inherit my magic. Aboveground, they will find it difficult. The magic is too thin there to support a growing child well."

"And what of me?" Sarah folded her hands protectively across her stomach.

"What would you have me do, precious thing?" he breathed, the desperation clear in his voice.

"Don't you want me?" Sarah sniffed, hating how her tears seemed to be on tap as soon as any emotion became too great.

She didn't expect him to sink to the ground in a crumpled bow at her feet.

"Jareth?" she yelped and crouched down worriedly as he slowly forced himself upright, his magic almost humming about him, and she suspected, the only reason he could move.

He raised his head and stared at her in white faced shock.

"You would want to be by my side?"

She flinched back.

"Yes, I, er, I thought we worked sort of well together." She remembered the easy joking and teasing, and then, with cold dread, what that woman Ceceille ha said. "Oh, I didn't realise you did not like mortals." She felt wretched at that.

"No!" He grabbed her lightly about the shoulders as if she were porcelain. She flinched at the sheer power curling around him and making her skin tingle. "We seem to have a very big misunderstanding here. We have been," he considered his words, "too careful. Too polite."

Sarah snorted. Polite? They had sarcastic slinging matches as their daily exchange.

"Sarah, precious thing, I would like nothing better than for you and our child to be in my life every day for all the days we have remaining to us. If you wish for marriage, I will send out the heralds and we will be wed within a week. If you wish for a home, I will provide you with the best suites in the castle. If you wish for a retreat, there is land within the enchanted forest. Tell me your desires so I may grant them."

Sarah reached up and smoothed out his hair so it stood in its usual fluffy ruff around his head.

"I would like to be your wife," she began and could get no further as all around them magic sparkled and they were floating among endless stars with a rim of eternal dawn on the horizon.

He grabbed her and hugged her to him. She clung as the disorientation of falling every which way got the best of her.

"Er, sorry," he sound rather embarrassed, but his whole demeanour shone with excitement, "my magic got the better of me."

"Where is this place?" Sarah asked, curiously. It was exactly like the floating she had felt when flying in the dream.

"It's the very heart of my power, and it is about this that the Labyrinth is constructed, it and its denizens draw power from here."

"You don't count yourself as a denizen?"

"No, I am its ruler, the magic is my own. Let me take us to a place where we may speak in greater comfort." He made a beckoning gesture with his hand and they were in a beautiful glade within the Enchanted forest. "I had planned, when you became more comfortable with the Labyrinth, that this area would be a small home for you. For weekends, to retreat when you were not busy in life Aboveground."

Sarah remained tucked in at his side and gaped at the scene in wonder. Old foundations and one wall of a cottage stood on the far side of the grassy glade, a stream cut across it in the dip nearer to them and the fading sunset painted everything in a hazy glow.

"It's beautiful," she whispered, "are you sure you want to disturb such a beautiful place?"

"You wouldn't want to live here?"

"Oh, no, but I would visit, often. If I'm to be your wife, I'd much prefer to at the castle and steal all the blankets off your side of the bed."

"You would not take the queen's suite?"

"There is a queen's suite? Sure, I'll take it, but I'm only making one bed in the morning, buster."

He wrapped himself around her and swung her around with a shout of incredulous delight.

"Let us sit on the wall there and talk," Sarah wriggled out of his grasp, only to have him dart about and grab her face and cover it with kisses. She slipped a finger over his lips. "We've much to discuss if there's a wedding to plan, our futures to work out and our respective jobs Aboveground and Underground to accommodate, not to mention how a child in four months is going to disrupt all that."

He released her with a blithely happy smile and tugged her by the hand all the way. He came to a sudden halt and froze as she sat on the wall.

"Oh dear," he reflected with a comical expression of dread on his face, "you convinced Karen and Robert that we're not romantically involved, and I told everyone you're my beloved not my betrothed, though with a baby on the way, we should by all formal tradition already be wed." He contemplated the treetops with an awkward expression that did not hide his glee.

Sarah began to laugh.

"You're the Goblin King, unpredictability is your nature!"

"And you're to be my Queen!" he threw out his arms and danced in the clearing, as he sang his joy to the skies.


	12. Chapter 12: teach

**All I ask of you, is that when I cannot, would you . . .**

**Teach?**

"Aah, Ludo, catch him!"

The rock caller was gentle and slow, but deftly careful as he snatched the child out of the tree before he fell.

"Thank you," Sarah panted and took five year old Jareth Jnr. from the fluffy orange beast.

"I wasn't going to fall, Ludo!" He complained, but didn't get far as the rock caller just stroked his hair, but the blond tufts were as stubborn as his fathers and stuck up everywhere.

"I told you we were leaving in ten minutes!" Sarah set her son on his feet. "Playing in the Enchanted Forest is not a ten minute activity!"

"It's better than listening to Screaming Susie."

"Susan can't help the noise, she's a baby," Sarah said with wearied patience.

"When will Dad be done? He's much better at babies than you."

Sarah gritted her teeth and reminded herself that he was only five years old. He skipped along at her side as she headed for the underground passage that was a shortcut to the castle.

"He's got a wish away, and we've got Thanksgiving at your grandparent's house. You still have to change into those Aboveground clothes that I put out this morning!"

"They're uncomfortable, even Dad complains about them!" He then made a flicking motion with his wrist and produced a crystal. Sarah gaped at him, he'd been doing that since he could manage the correct wrist movements, but this was the first time she had seen him materialise something stronger than a fragile soap bubble like sphere that popped within seconds. He flipped it up into the air, caught it and vanished.

"Jareth!" She was not sure whom she was quite yelling at in that moment, her husband or her son.

When she arrived back at the castle gates, her son was waiting in his neat button down shirt and trousers. He rocked Susan's stroller back and forth to calm her. Sarah almost sighed in relief as the Goblin King himself, now dreadfully conservatively dressed in a fetching grey suit, walked up, still fastening his cuff links.

He took one look at Susan and turned sharply to his son.

"Jareth," he drawled warningly and the boy jumped. He reached into the stroller seat and snatched the crystal away from his sister. She hiccupped and began to cry again.

"What did he do to her?" Sarah panicked, only to have her husband lightly kiss her on the lips as he passed her to lift Susan out of the stroller. He danced about for a few moments and she snuggled onto his shoulder and gurgled happily.

"Centuries of practice," Sarah sighed in envy.

He smirked over Susan's tiny head.

"What have I told you about crystals?" Jareth asked his son as they stepped out of the castle and Jareth jnr. bumped the stroller down the steps.

"They're a focus for magic, not a toy for silly dreams."

"And what was that just now?"

"Er," Jareth jnr. fidgeted guiltily.

"What did we agree on?"

"That's not fair!" He abandoned the stroller and ran over to his father.

Sarah snorted with silent laughter at the pained consternation on the Goblin King's face. She left to collect the stroller so that her son would not see her expression.

"What was that?" Jareth said in a very unimpressed tone.

His son grimaced guiltily and gave a heavy sigh.

"We agreed that I'd help Sir Didymus guard the Bog bridge for a whole week if I did it again."

"I will inform him you shall be his assistant as of Monday," Jareth declared.

Sarah found a little hand in hers as they approached the gateway to Aboveground.

"I just wanted to keep her quiet," he mumbled.

"Maybe she just wanted to be held. By giving her a dream you did what you wanted and ignored what she truly needed."

He gave a tired huff.

"You like Sir Didymus, it won't be too bad," Sarah coaxed.

"The smell," he breathed in horror, "a whole week of the smell." He perked right up then and Sarah eyed him warily. "Mom, do you think I could invite Uncle Toby to visit me next week?"

She watched as her husband tilted his head up to hide his laughter. Ever since he could walk, young Jareth had hero-worshiped his uncle, but he had yet to convince him to visit the Bog of Eternal Stench. Sarah had been too descriptive in her complaints of the place and Toby, while willing to brave some of the Labyrinth, had his limits.

"I am not party to this," Sarah declared. "You have to tell him where to meet you," she reminded him.

She almost joined her husband in his laughter as the little boy's eyes lit up in the same calculating expression of mischief as her husband got whenever a particularly tricky runner came through the Labyrinth.

They reached the gateway and the Goblin King held it open and they trooped through into the 'Arrival room,' which was the mudroom at the back of the Williams' house.

Jareth jnr. dove for the push button doorbell and jammed it. He loved electronics of all kinds especially as the Labyrinth had only mechanical devices but no electricity.

The door was soon opened and Toby put his head out with a bored expression.

"What's this? Scruffy little boy's for sale today? Sorry, we're not interested!" He closed the door.

"Uncle Toby!" Jareth jnr. jumped at the door and phased through it.

Sarah gave a ragged gasp and Jareth let the door to the Underground crash close behind him, waking Susan.

"He's only five years old," he croaked.

"He's your son, my love."

The door opened and Toby, rather green about the gills, peered out.

"Did I just see what I think I saw?"

"Yes," Jareth said still wide eyed. "I'll start his formal magical training tonight! Precocious brat. I only did that at twenty!"

Toby laughed.

"It's not often anyone catches you off guard," he drew the door open and helped Sarah with the stroller.

"I'd thought he had tired himself out making that crystal for his sister," Jareth grumbled.

"Oh, he made another one earlier, in the Enchanted Wood," Sarah recalled, "and used it to teleport himself back to his room."

Jareth blinked at her and sighed wearily and Toby sniggered at him.

"Welcome to magical fatherhood. At least you have five years to straighten him out until lovely little Susan does the same thing."

Jareth looked decidedly henpecked just then.

"Let me hold my gorgeous niece." Toby took her from him. "The brandy is in the decanter on the sideboard."

Jareth trooped off to join Robert and to explain his woebegone yet overwhelmingly proud expression to his father in law.

Toby settled himself beside Sarah on the couch, as Laura, his long-term girlfriend and Karen fussed about the finishing touches on the table. Sarah noticed the ring on her finger, but did not say anything; Toby had the smug look of a man about to make a big announcement later that evening.

"I'd ask what it's like to have kids, 'cause, Laura's been making not so subtle hints, but after that I'm not sure I want to know."

Sarah chuckled.

"We live in the Underground, it's actually good that his magic is stabilising, and that he has his father's gifts, not my own."

Toby patted Susan on the back as she burbled.

"You have magic?"

Sarah laughed.

"I challenged Jareth and duelled him to a standstill, how else do you think I escaped the Labyrinth?"

"You just said some words."

"And my words have power," Sarah explained.

Toby nodded and frowned.

"So, when Jareth Jnr. is all grown, we're going to have two of them running around?"

Sarah laughed at Toby's slightly horrified expression. He might tease Jareth, but he held a healthy respect for the sheer power the fae could wield.

"What did you expect from the heir to the Goblin Kingdom?"

A despairing expression crossed his face, then it morphed into determination.

"I'm telling Laura tonight. Do you think I could ask Jareth if he'd mind giving a tour sometime next week?"

"If you volunteer to babysit a few nights, he'd be willing to let you live in the castle."

Toby smiled then he grimaced.

"Sarah, I do not need to know about your love life."

"Lack of," she informed him, "we have a five month old who doesn't sleep through yet."

"Really don't want to know," Toby groaned.

"What you do know, though, is Jareth will do just about anything for a night out. I'd say if you ask him now, while he's still shell shocked from his son's little display, you might get a better deal."

Toby was off the couch in a flash. Sarah smiled as he danced his niece across the room and Robert cooed and took her off his son. He then cornered Jareth and it looked for all the world they were plotting a raid on a neighbouring Kingdom. Jareth had a distinctly mischievous expression that only grew worse as Toby talked.

.

Laura accepted the news of the Labyrinth and Jareth's status as the Goblin King very calmly. Sarah took her to all her favourite places in the Labyrinth and avoided the Fiery Forest, the Bog and the Junkyard. They were dangerous for mortals, and part of the trial should she mistakenly ever call on the Goblin King. Toby had no such courteous immunity. Jareth jnr. had convinced him to help him in his day's work. They were taking tea in the fountain garden within the hedge maze when he finally trooped up, led by Hoggle who was still chortling over something.

"Betrayed!" Toby slumped down beside his fiancée as Hoggle hopped up on the bench beside Sarah and little Susan.

"What's wrong?" Laura asked, alarmed.

"My nephew said his father had set him a task this week and that I was to watch him perform it."

Sarah couldn't hide her smile.

"You were in on this!" Toby pointed at her in exasperated dismay.

Sarah and Hoggle cracked up. Susan bubbled with tiny baby laughs.

"Dear, what happened?" Laura asked with concern at Toby's very disgruntled expression.

"Let's just say there are places in this Labyrinth that you never, ever, ever want to visit." Toby rubbed his nose and shuddered.

"I can't believe I agreed to babysit for two nights every week for the next month! You traitor!" He whined at Sarah.

"What else did you bargain for if Jareth agreed to that?" Sarah asked in surprise, she knew her husband; it would be four nights at the very least if he could get away with it.

Toby hesitated.

"He said he needed my help in repairing a footpath," he said cautiously, as horror overcame his expression. "I should have asked where that footpath was," he put his hand over his face and groaned.

Sarah and Hoggle shared an incredulous look of sudden relief and absolute joy. The footpath above the Bog of Eternal Stench had been at the top of Jareth's repair list for the past ten years and as yet he had not yet been able to con anyone into doing it. He had threatened them with it on occasion, as they had been the ones to break it. They fell about laughing.

"What would happen if I were to wish you away?" Toby asked Sarah, very disgruntled.

"I'd have thirteen hours alone with my wonderful husband, your darling Laura would have to watch Susan, and you'd have to face the Labyrinth with Jareth most disinclined to let you anywhere near the castle until the very last second."

Toby slumped with his head in his arms.

"This!" he raised a hand and pointed at Sarah, "Laura, this is what I had to put up with growing up."

Laura sipped at her tea, smiling broadly.

"Dear, at least you grew up human; Sarah loved you enough to pry you out of his grasp."

Toby lifted his head, a panicked expression washed over his face as it dawned on him just how very close he came to being a goblin, twice.

"Hoggle, does the castle have any good grog? I think I need it."

The two males hurried off.

Laura peered out over the hedge maze towards the castle.

"You have a beautiful kingdom; my father's own is quite different, though no less magnificent."

Sarah set her cup down in its saucer before she dropped it.

"You're a princess?"

"Selkie," she smiled, "Toby lifted my coat off the floor when I dropped it at one of my father's business meetings. I was so worried about telling him about it, but this gives me a wonderful introduction."

Sarah began to laugh again.

"You have to tell me of his reaction. He's been ragging Jareth all week about magical children."

Laura's eyes only danced with mirth.

"You won't mind babysitting when ours come along?"

"Not if you return the favour in the mean time," Sarah said, smiling.

"Oh, there is something I meant to ask you, is Sidonie still living here?" She dug a copy of Frederik Denholm's latest book out of her bag and handed it over the Sarah. "Do you think she could pass this along to my brother Peri when she next sees him?"

Sarah took it, as things slotted into place.

"Jareth's sister married your brother, how did you not know who I was?"

Laura blinked.

"You're the mortal Peri met! He could only tell us your name was Sarah, we all though it a human affection titling yourself princess, not an actual name. The translation spells can be a bit strange. I can't believe I've known of you, but not known you!"

"You could also get Jareth to sign the book, Frederik Denholm is his pseudonym."

"You're kidding me," Laura began to laugh. "Only in the Underground!"

* * *

The air felt heavy and the skies painted with dark bruised clouds as a couple laughed and darted down an embankment. In the intervening years the switch back path had been fitted with wooden slats, but Sarah landed lightly on the spot and gasped. Beside her Jareth stepped up and slipped his arms around her.

"I love the view of the river here," she said, "it's at its most beautiful."

A distant thunder rumbled and Sarah shivered, she could feel the build of magic, there would be a Wish Away again this evening, and somewhere nearby. As yet it was only the potential, if it would happen or not remained to be seen.

Heavy drops began to fall from the skies and Sarah raised her hands to catch them in delight. Jareth pressed a lingering kiss to her neck and watched the ripples across the silver bend in the river.

"I never did say thank you for calling me a second time. No one ever has."

Sarah turned in his grasp to slip her arms around his neck and admire his sharp-toothed smile.

"A pleasure, though I was irked at the time. I never thanked you for saving me. Once I'd met you, nothing could stay the same. That change rippled through my life. Now look at us as authors, monarchs, and our children! Who would have guessed what could come from a simple wish?"

"With a will as strong as yours," Jareth declared, "anything."

* * *

_Fin._

* * *

A/N: Thanks to everyone who reviewed, followed and faved this tale. You kept me going. (:

Other Labyrinth tales of mine to keep you amused until I return to the Labyrinth only page:

_Someone True _[Howls Moving Castle x Labyrinth]


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